The Hangzhou Tea Gardens

A real jewel on the outskirts of Hangzhou is the Museum of Tea at Hu Xueyan. This area is home to plantations that make some of the highest grade green tea in the world. The museum itself is beautiful, but it is outshined by the surrounding gardens. Replete with lush foliage, gracefully arched bridges, and gurgling brooks, this was a lovely place to walk around and just relax. So much so, that Joshua fell soundly asleep in his stroller and Mom and Dad joined him for a 1 hour catnap on a nearby park bench. Remarkably, there was hardly anyone around except for staff.

We had dinner at one of the fine dumpling houses in Hangzhou right on the shores of the famous West Lake. As always, the food was excellent and service impeccable. The entree pictured is a carved pear decorated with ginko nuts and slice of premium ham. From the pictures, you can probably tell this was a pretty classy establishment. Joshua enjoyed ice cream for dessert, and once again was coddled by the waitress who even gave him a couple of stuffed animals.. what's not to like about that?