My Beijing cloth shoes (老北京布鞋) !

Today I was walking around Yu Garden area (kind of "fake old" traditional area in Shanghai) with my colleague and my feet were hurting so much (we had been walking around since the morning) that when I passed by a traditional Beijing shoes shop I couldn't help but to try a pair on ... 

I had been willing to buy some for a while now, but never really got the chance, or at the last minute decided they were actually not "wearable"... I guess now I've become "Chinese" enough to enjoy wearing them. 

At first, when you have the shoe in your hands the sole feels very hard, I was afraid it would not be comfortable, but the sole is actually made of linen, and can adapt to your feet ... A cheap price (59RMB=6,70Euros) and my colleague born in Beijing both convinced me ...ok, I'll buy them ! As soon as I got home I started wearing them (I think they are more suitable for indoor use) and felt soooooo comfortable !!! So they might not look very "trendy" but they are definitely perfect for wearing at home !

Dongbei trip - Oct 2011

@ Tiger forest, Harbin.

St Sophia's cathedral : Russian remains of the past @Harbin.

Chinese tradition @ Jile temple, Harbin.

At 东方饺子, the best dumpling fast-food chain in Dongbei ! Milie's favorite : the cucumber & shrimp ones !

@ a public bath in Harbin. This one was quite luxurious, I had my own bathtub in a private room (I went for the "rose" treatment) with flat TV screen, and my own "ayi" ("aunt" in Chinese) to take care of me ... felt like a princess :-)

@ Dalian

Got to breathe some clean air, saw thousands of stars (yes, that is something you come to miss when you live in Shanghai), met some friendly people, learned how to play Mahjong ...Short but fun & relaxing trip ! :-)