A Family Trip to China

We were blessed this April to take a trip as a family to China.  Why China?  I have a sister who lives there with her family.  For the last 13 years or so, they have taught overseas at various international schools.  For the last 3 years they have been working in Shanghai.
I was extremely excited when my husband gave us the plane tickets at Christmas time, but as time grew closer I started to get nervous.  The 13 hour plane ride, the 12 hour time difference, the packing, the planning, how was this all going to play out, especially with a one year old?  How was I going to feel knowing I stuck on an airplane for so long?
As usual, the worry was for nothing. God took great care of us.  My mother in law said when she thought of us while on our trip, she pictured a cross over our heads and that is how I felt.
Our trip was filled with sight seeing, shopping, a lot of walking and great food.  Although there are so many great historic and touristic places to visit in China, we kept this trip simple as to not overwhelm us or the kids.
Read on if you want to get a quick glimpse of our trip.

 Getting ready for a "rough" sleep in the hotel before we fly out the next morning :)
We spent the night in Montreal before taking our 13 hour direct flight to Shangai
 Yeah for good food in the Air Canada Lounge
Almost time to take off.
Our welcome sign :)
 A trip to a traditional "wet market" in Xui Jing.  It was quite the experience for us.
Not at all like a typical Canadian grocery store.   
"Hey is that a black chicken?" My middle daughter LOVED the wet market and asked to return many times.   She enjoyed looking at the fish, frogs, turtles and pig's heads!
The busy streets of Shanghai.  It was a holiday that day and the streets were packed.
 Tai Kang Lu, one of the few places with old traditional buildings.
Very busy!  
My handsome husband and if you can't tell, my gorgeous sister.
 These two loved the shopping
in the old streets.

A view from the Bund, a popular tourist area and  second tallest  building in the world; the Shanghai Tower.
A few cool kids waiting for the subway.  These children had a lot of pictures taken perhaps due to the blond hair and blue eyes.  Many people were also surprised  that we have three children!
My favorite picture.  Isn't he so adorable?

In Shanghai, you can find many restaurants and stores that will have some English.  This restaurant however was strictly in Chinese.  We had a great time just pointing to the menu and "blindly" picking out our lunch.  I was so proud of the kids, they would eat whatever was given.  I honestly had no idea what I ate that day but it was tasty.
Even our little guy was using his chopsticks.  
When on vacation, we often look for smoothie bars.  They are a great way to get some  additional nutrients and easy for all members of the family.
On a less healthy note, my husband felt I should post this.  Yes, we ate breakfast at McDonalds...once!