Sjalet / My shawl

Brylluppet var rigtig dejligt og hyggeligt. Nevøen blev godt gift, og hans søster græd som pisket..... (Stakkels pus!) Som I ved, havde jeg glædet mig rigtig meget til at have kjolen og sjalet på, og det var også rigtig, rigtig dejligt.
Så altså - billeder af sjalet, men ingen af brudeparret. De var nu også fine......

The wedding was just wonderful. My nephew got married, and his sister cried her eyes out..... (Poor thing!) As you are aware, I had been looking very much forward to wearing the shawl and the dress, and I really, really enjoyed it.
So - pictures of the shawl, but none of the married couple. They looked really pretty, though.....

Sjalet passede også rigtig godt til dette stakkels, frysende pigebarn og hendes kjole. Det er nemlig dejlig lunt, selv om det er så let og tyndt!
Men hun fik nu ikke lov at låne det længe.... Det er mit!

The shawl also looked good on this poor, freezing girl and her dress. It is really warm, although it's so light and thin!
But she didn't get to borrow it for very long..... It's mine!

Silk(e) & cashmere

Da jeg var i Kina, købte jeg også en skræddersyet kjole i silke. Den er rigtig fin, syet i 2 lag tyndt stof, det yderste med blomster og pailletter. Ikke sådan alt for kinesisk at se på i snittet, og jeg har også noget at bruge den til.... Jeg skal nemlig til bryllup den første weekend i juli.
Til kjolen skal jeg selvfølgelig have et sjal. Selvfølgelig skulle det strikkes i cashmere og uld fra garnbutikken, ikke? Derfor havde jeg lige en god grund til at købe (endnu) en kegle grønt garn, der vil være rigtig fint til.
Nu er det ikke helt stort nok endnu, så her er endnu en ting at strikke intensivt på!
Mønsteret er "Percy" - en ganske gratis, men også meget fin opskrift, fundet på Ravelry. Lige sådan tilpas interessant i mønsteret, men ikke for hullet eller for meget i forhold til at skulle være sammen med kjolen. Jeg glæder mig!

When I went to China, I bought a tailor-made silk-dress. It's really pretty, made from 2 layers of thin silk, the top layer is patterned with flowers. Not too Chinese, and with a purpose. I'm going to a wedding in the beginning of July.
For the dress, I obviously need a shawl. Obviously, I had to make it in cashmere and wool bought from the Chinese yarn shop. And so I had a reason to buy a(nother) cone of green yarn, that matches well.
It's not very big yet, so this is another project I need to focus on!
The pattern is called "Percy" - a very pretty, free pattern found on Ravelry. Just the right mix of patterns. Not too lacy or just too much to be worn with the dress.
Can't wait to have it finished!

Fra kameraet / From my camera

Hjemme / Home

Jeg er nu hjemme igen efter den dejligste ferie. Sofapuderne har fået deres nye silkebetræk, og jeg har liiiige været nødt til at lave en strikkeprøve med mit nye, kinesiske garn.

I'm back home after a really wonderful vacation. My pillows on the couch had their new silk covers, and I just had to make a swatch using my new, Chinese yarn.




Inden jeg tog hjem, nåede vi at se lidt mere. Det var ganske vist et uheld, fordi vi skulle se noget andet, men vi endte i Konfucius' tempel. Jeg vidste så meget, at han var en stor kinesisk filosof, men lærte, at han faktisk er ophavsmand til kinesisk tænkemåde og regelsæt.

Before I went home, we saw a little more. It was by accident, since we wanted to see something else, but ended up in the temple of Konfucius. I knew he was a great, Chinese philosopher, but I learned that he was actually the founder of the Chinese way of thinking and how they rule the country.




Det, der var sjovt, var at templet var fyldt med små huse med stentavler, der stod på ryggen af nogle drabelige skildpadder! Jeg har ikke kunnet finde sammenhængen mellem Konfucius og skildpadder, men forstår da lidt bedre, hvordan Bowser i Mario-spillene er endt som skildpadde og måske er der også en linje til Ninja Turtles? Jeg havde ihvertfald ikke før tænkt skildpadder og krig i sammenhæng før......

The funny thing about the temple was a lot of small houses containing stone tablets. Every tablet stood on the back of some seriously dangerous looking turtles. I haven't been able to find the connection between Konfucius and the turtles, but I understand a little better, why Bowser from Super Mario is a turtle, and maybe there is a connection to the Ninja Turtles several hundred years later? Before meeting these turtles, I never thought about turtles and war.....

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Garn i Beijing 2 / Beijing yarn 2

Jeg var forbi garnbutikken igen og fik købt gaver. Har nu fået bedre instruktioner på at finde derhen, HVIS nu nogen skulle komme forbi.....

I went to the yarn shop again to buy gifts. Now I have better instructions on how to find it, just in case any of you end up in Beijing......




Det er super nemt. Tag metroen, Linje 5, til Deng Shi Kou Station. Følg Exit A, og drej til venstre, når du når gaden. Den første gade (lige ved siden af stationen) krydser man, og drejer til venstre ned ad den næste gade, der hedder Deng Shi Kou Da Jie. Man skal gå et lille stykke, men så ligger garnbutikken på venstre hånd. Du bliver ikke skuffet, hvis du ser dig for derinde!

It's really simple. Take the Subway, Line 5, and get off at Deng Shi Kou Station. Leave the station by following Exit A, turn left on the street. Cross the first street (right next to the station) and turn left down the second street, called Deng Shi Kou Da Jie. You have to walk a bit, but then you'll find the shop on the left side. Take a good look around and you won't be disappointed!

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Mad / Food

Man spiser god mad i Kina! Jeg har været heldig at få noget forskelligt, og i aftes var det blandt andet de her; de fineste boller med lilla kartoffel indeni. De ligner jo kager, og smagte ufatteligt godt....

You eat well in China! I have been lucky enough to taste different things, and last night I had these among other things; little buns with purple potato inside. They look like cakes and were incredibly tasty......




Jeg har også fået dejlig is. Men på den Kinesiske Mur havde de desværre ikke den jeg synes bedst om, og så skulle jeg da lige prøve denne her i stedet.

I also had some great icecream. Unfortunately, they didn't have my favorite on the Chinese Wall, and so I tried this instead.




Bønneis! Eller noget.... Det smagte vældig grønt og sundt, og jeg kunne altså ikke spise mere end en tredjedel.....

Beans icecream! I guess..... The taste was very green and healthy, and I wasn't able to eat more than one third......




I aften fik vi hot pot. En slags kinesisk fondue, hvor maden tilberedes ved at koge det i suppen. Vældig lækkert og hyggeligt!

Tonight we had hot pot. A special Chinese dish where everything is cooked in the soup. Really yummy and somerthing to sit around for a long time, enjoying the company.

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Temple of Heaven

En anden seværdighed i Beijing er 'Temple of Heaven'. Et helt kompleks med en kæmpe park og bygninger til en meget lang ofringsceremoni for kejseren. Den største bygning er denne; selve templet, der er meget smukt.

Another attraction in Beijing is 'Temple of Heaven' - a big park with buildings for a complicated offering ceremony for the emperor. This is the largest building - extremely pretty.






Dette er 'Himmelstenen' i centrum af offerpladsen. Når man står der, høres ens stemme tydeligere i Himlen. Jeg kan vise jer, hvor mange der stod på stenen, men I må forestille jer, hvor meget de råbte......

This is the 'Stone of Heaven' (I think) - when you stand on this (the centre of the offering square), your voice is heard more clearly in the Heavens.
I can show you the amount of people standing on the stone, but you'll have to imagine the noise they made.....






Her er offerpladsen. Kæmpestor! Jeg tror nemt, der kunne blive plads til 100.000 mennesker, hvis alle niveauer var i brug.

This is the square for offerings. Gigantic! I think 100,000 persons would fit in easily, if all levels were used.






Der var også fine detaljer her. Hvem ville ikke gerne have en drage til at sluge tagryggen?
Det sjoveste var, da vi sad og strikkede ved det store tempel og blev fotograferet med nogle kinesere. De trænger virkelig til flere strikkere i Kina!

You could find some very funny details here too. Who wouldn't want dragons swallowing the top stones on a roof?
The most funny thing was that we had our picture taken with some Chinese people, when we sat knitting at the largest temple. They clearly need more knitters in China!

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Den Store Mur / The Great Wall

I dag tog vi toget til den Kinesiske mur. Helt perfekt og nemt med toget!
Det første, man lægger mærke til, er de flotte skraldespande. Kinesere kan noget med skraldespande!

Today we went by train to see The Great Wall. Taking the train was perfect and simple.
First thing to see was a garbage can. Amazing garbage can!




Muren burde måske nok kaldes 'Den Store Trappe', for det går op og ned hele tiden, enten med trapper eller bare stejlt og fladt. Det var vildt smukt, og sandelig god motion! Det værste var, da en gammel kinesisk kone smilede højlydt af min veninde, der asede sig op ad trappen. Hvordan alle de gamle damer kom op og ned i fin form er ude over min fatteevne.....

The Wall might as well be called 'The Great Staircase'. It goes up and down all the time, with or without stairs. It's extremely beautiful and great exercise! Worst part was when an old, Chinese lady 'smiled' loudly, seeing my friend climbing up the stairs. I'll never understand how all these old ladys got up and down so easily.....




Jeg strikkede også. Niecens ene strømpe er nu færdig!

I also knitted. First sock for my niece is done!




På vej hjem med toget var der den skønneste udsigt over muren.
Hvordan mine ben har det i morgen, må tiden vise.

Going home, we had a spectacular view of the wall.
Time will show how my legs feel tomorrow.

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Marked / Market

På Silk Market og Pearl Market kan man købe alt muligt og umuligt. Man bliver stoppet og spurgt om at kigge på det hele, og det er umuligt at gå igennem uden at blive stoppet.
F.eks. kan man få strikkede støvler!

On the Silk Market and Pearl Market, you can buy all sorts of stuff. You get stopped and asked to look on lots of things, and it's impossible to walk through the place without someone asking you to stop.
For instance, you can buy knitted boots!



Der er perlebutikker med perler i tusindtal!

There are pearl shops with thousands of pearls!



Og der er "ECCO" sko, som ECCO ihvertfald aldrig nogensinde kunne drømme om at designe.....

And there are "ECCO" shoes that ECCO would never ever design....

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Garn i Beijing / Yarn in Beijing

Jeg har (selvfølgelig) også været i garnbutikken. Det nåede vi også i går!
Shoppegenet fungerer åbenbart stadig fint, for jeg fik da købt en pæn stak. Men nu ved vi jo også, at strikkeres regel nr 1 er: man må ALTID gerne købe garn, når man er i Kina.....
Fra venstre, med uret, er det: blåt bomuldsgarn (måske med lidt acryl), grønt og rødt cashmeregarn (70%), gråt uldgarn med cashmere (vistnok 10%), orange (meget blødt) 80% uldgarn og grønt bomuld (som det blå). Alt sammen helt vildt lækkert. Eneste problem? Jeg nænner ikke rigtigt at forære noget væk som gaver, så jeg skal nok derover forbi igen.....

I also visited the yarn shop yesterday and apparently I still know how to shop! But you know - knitting rule number 1 is: when in China, you're always allowed to buy yarn.....
Clickwise, from left, it's blue cotton (maybe mixed with a bit acrylics), then cones of green and red cashmere (70%), then grey wool with cashmere (10%), orange wool (80%, very soft) and finally green cotton, like the blue. Only problem? Don't know how I would be able to use any of this for gifts, so I guess I'll have to visit the shop again.....



Dette er butikkens visitkort med adressen.

This is the shop's card with the address.



Og her er den på kortet. Lige rundt om hjørnet fra Dengshikou Station, subway linje 5. Rimeligt nemt at finde, faktisk!
De har også tøj i vinduet, men lad dig ikke snyde!

Here it is on the map. Right around the corner from Dengshikou subway station and not difficult to find.
The shop window is filled with clothes, but don't let yourself be cheated. It's the right one!

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Turist og Peking and / Tourist and Peking duck

Ovre bagved 'den forbudte by' er der en bakke med et Buddhatempel på toppen. Der er en meget smuk park omkring, og fra toppen er der en fin udsigt over palads-byen.
Næsten på toppen kan man blive fotograferet som kejser eller kejserinde. Ret sjovt!
Jeg ville nu nok være blevet en ret skrap en af slagsen, hvis man skulle dømme ud fra billederne....

Behind 'the Forbidden City', there is a hill with a Buddha temple on top. There is also a very beautiful park on the way up, with a spectacular view over the palace complex.
Close to the top, you can dress up and have your picture taken as an emperor or empress.
I guess I would have been a very tough one, judged by the photo!



Om aftenen spiste vi Peking and på en meget fin restaurant i flere etager. Hver etage med borde til et bestemt antal personer. Vi blev sendt på 5 sal med borde til 4 eller 6 personer.
Udenfor mødte vi dog først denne lille fyr, der ser ret uvidende ud om sin skæbne som andesteg...

In the evening we had Peking duck on a very fancy restaurant holding several floors in the building. Every floor had tables for a specific number of people, and we ended up on 5th floor with tables for 4 and 6 people.
Outside we met this little guy, happily unaware of his destiny as a roast duck.



Anden blev skåret fint ud af en kok, der ikke lavede andet. Man spiser den så i pandekager med strimlede grøntsager og speciel sovs. Det smager dejligt!
Sjovt nok har jeg slet ikke fået ris herovre endnu.......

The duck was cut by a chef, doing nothing else. You eat it with pancakes, finely cut vegetables and a special sauce. Very tasty!
Weirdly enough I didn't have any rice yet......

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Mao / Forbidden city

I dag har vi nået forfærdeligt meget. Først gik turen omkring Mao's mausoleum. Meget interessant oplevelse, må jeg sige. Personligt er jeg nok ikke den helt store beundrer af manden, men imponerende var det da!

Today we did an awful lot of stuff. First we went to see Mao in his mausoleum. Very interesting experience! Personally, I'm not a great admirer, but it was very impressive.



Så gik vi over gaden til 'Den Forbudte By'. Gigantisk sted! Vi så højst halvdelen, og vældig imponerende var det! Den ene smukke bygning efter den anden, og det fortsatte og fortsatte. I har formentlig set et billede eller to andre steder, så her er bare nogle af dyre-figurerne på taghjørnerne. Vældig flot detalje, der var på selv de mindste bygninger.

Then we crossed the street to see the Forbidden City. Ginormeous place! Maybe we saw half of the place and everything was so very impressive. One beautiful building after another, going on and on. You've probably already seen a photo or two, so I'll just show you some of the animal-figures on the corners of the roofs. A beautiful detail that can be found on even the smallest buildings.



Denne lampe var helt overdrevet sej. Dragehoved-lampe! Mon ikke man kunne få sådan en derhjemme?

This lamp was extremely cool. A dragon's head lamp! I wonder if I could get one of those at home?

Kinesiske toiletter / Chinese toilets

Man kan vælge denne slags (der var et enkelt)

You could choose this kind (there was one)



Eller denne slags (det var resten)

Or this kind (the rest of the toilets)



Som så sådan ud...... (næste gang vælger jeg "handicap"-toilettet)

Inside looking Luke this....... (next time I'll take the other kind, for "disabled" people)
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Visse ting / Certain things

Nu er det træt aften efter en dejlig dag. Jeg har set det olympiske stadion (der stort set er nabo), spist dejlig kinesisk mad, shoppet (billigt) tøj og set døde, flade ænder.
Desværre ser det ikke ud til, at Kina og Blogspot er helt gode venner, så derfor er indlægget billedløst. I morgen må jeg huske at tage billeder med iPhone, så I kan se lidt af det sjove....
Jeg kan heller ikke svare på kommentarer.....

By now it's evening and I'm tired after a long and wonderful day. I saw the olympic stadion (practically my neighbor), had lovely, Chinese food, shopped for (cheap) clothes and saw dead, flat ducks.
Unfortunately, it seems like China and Blogspot are not the best of friends, so no photos today. Tomorrow I must remember to use my iPhone camera, sharing some of the fun......
I can't answer your comments eithet.....


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Udsigt / View

Efter en lang flyvetur er jeg nu her i Beijing. Med denne udsigt!
Mere følger, men jeg skal lige først holde mig vågen, derefter sove.....

After a long flight I have arriver in Beijing. With this view from my room!
I'll share more, but first I have to stay awake and then get some sleep....