Gucun Park Cherry Blossom Festival (4/8/2012)

Sunday, April 8, 2012
Happy Easter!
We started the day with bakery items from Nancy's Bakery in Pudong.
Then we headed to Sinan Mansions to Alchemist (Cuisine/Bar) for Easter Brunch. We decided to load up on a year's worth of carbs!

KSS

First they brought us a bread basket with banana bread, pizza bread, and breadsticks. Then we had Monte Cristo Beignets, made with ham and Gruyere cheese.

Blood Orange French Toast with Grand Marnier Creme Anglais: 

Buttermilk Fried Chicken with cheddar-bacon biscuits and cream gravy, two poached eggs and sauteed greens:

We stopped in Tianzifang to see if the Beaugeste Gallery was open today:

This time there was a response to ringing the doorbell, and we were able to see the Wind and Clouds Exhibition, photographs by Li Zhensheng taken during the Cultural Revolution.
Here monks were forced to hold a banner:

which says "To hell with Buddhist scriptures; they are full of dog farts."

Perhaps the U.S. is going through a Cultural Revolution where the people [are made to] believe the statements of a certain political party, statements which are ridiculously untrue like this one. 

In keeping with the Easter theme of rebirth, we continued the quest for fruit blossoms. This time we went to the Gucun Park Cherry Blossom Festival. Kent was kind of blossomed-out, but I can't control the timing of the blossoms!

The subway was unusually crowded today. With all these people, now it really felt like a festival!

Gucun Park was prepared for the huge crowds with multiple entry lanes:

Many food vendors. We couldn't identify all the food:

Looked like string cheese sticks in tomato sauce.
The BBQ Forest was more crowded:

Balloon figures:

Actually it was past peak for the white cherry blossoms: 

Unfortunately no sun today.
Pink blossoms:

Tamiko:

KSS

Crowded cherry grove:

Pale pink cherry blossoms:

Kent:

Tamiko:

KSS

Are we doing better, Kathy L?

A kite and an Unidentified Flying Object:

Turned out to be some sort of remote-controlled gadget:

KSS

KSS

It had blinking lights.

Tamiko and sculptures in the Asian-type Garden: 

KSS

Unique arches:

A little one in the little one:

A loving couple in the heart arch:

Kent in the coolest arch:

A cotoneaster plant:

Cotoneaster blossoms:

The British-type Garden:

Used for weddings and banquets.
Gazebo:

A nest and a kite:

British lamppost:

Arbor or pergola:

The Asian-style Garden:

Just a big restaurant.
Is it SNOW beer?

Or MONS beer?

Lorapetulum:

The Mediterranean-style Garden:

It seems only senior citizens do the digging and weeding:

Statuary:

Note spotlights for any one to trip over.
Kent tries for a marble peach:

Cherry tree:

From the loggia:

Cherry blossoms and buds:

Kent:

Tamiko: 

KSS

The Easter Bunny came!

Easter treats from Godiva: