Taipei (4/19/2013)
Not much was planned for this day so we had a leisure morning enjoying our complimentary breakfast at the very quiet Base--the cafe at the basement of the hotel. Last year when we were here they served a simple Chinese breakfast but now they only have breakfast burritos. They were OK but I liked their smoked chicken sandwich that they had last year. This cafe is so quiet, we were their only customers there this morning.
After breakfast we took the metro to the east side of the city where the Sogo Department Stores are. We had to wait for the stores to open but it was kind of fun just sitting outside watching the world go by. Browsing through the stores was fun and of course we did not spend anything shopping here but had a delicious lunch at the food court down at the basement. There are many choices and they all looked interesting.
I ended up with the Singapore soup noodle, very good!
Don't remember, but I think it came with the fried pork chop or fried chicken.
Christian had the Japanese style rice with chicken and a whole squid.
After lunch, I started to feel a little weak and felt that I was coming down with a cold. I was hoping that going back to the hotel and rest for the afternoon will help but it didn't. I was in bed for the rest of the day, and night.
Taipei (4/20/2013)
This morning we had breakfast at the Dante next door. This is the busiest vendors out of all the breakfast places serving the Hotel Flowers guests and they provide a decent complimentary breakfast.
my breakfast sandwich
After breakfast, Mr. and Mrs. Lin came to pick us up for the day. First they took us to Shilin to visit the Shilin Guandi (former residence of President and Madame Chiang Kai Shek). We were here last year also but not Christian. The park is open to public for free and it was very crowded this day. This is probably one of the "must-see" places for Chinese tourists visiting Taiwan.
To get into the actual museum, there is a $100 NTD entrance fee.
the exterior of the residence
This is an important site to visit for history sake. Seeing the inside of the building and strolling through the rooms really helped us to understand President and Madame Chiang's lives better. Well worth the visit.
Tamshui--#8 attraction in Taipei on Tripadvisor
After Shilin, we drove to Tamshui and had lunch at the Dark Palace (黑殿). Last year we took a long walk over here from the metro station following our guide book. Lin said he had eaten here before years ago but it was just a tiny place then. Now it's like an attraction, especially on this Saturday afternoon.
side dishes that we ordered
their main course--pork chop rice, this is a regular size bowl. We decided that it is better to have the rice instead of the noodle.
Da Lu soup
After the delicious lunch we went to Fisherman's Wharf for a walk. Rain stopped and it was very nice to be back again, this time during the day.
Lin said we should stay a day here at the hotel next time.
Lover's Bridge
Our next stop is the "Foreign Compound" (Red-Hair City 紅毛城) where the Dutch consulate used to be.
They really picked the nicest spot to have this compound. Up on the hill with a gorgeous view of the river.
kitchen area
Then, we walked over to the Presbyterian University nearby.
This is yet another foreign establishment but I forgot what it was. Look at the view!
A little back down the hill is where the old Presbyterian church is.
The first christian church in Taiwan founded by Dr. McKay.
"Tamshui old street"--the main tourist area. If anyone is visiting this area, this freshly baked cake is a must-get, in my opinion. It was hot, buttery, and delicious! They ran out of regular on this day so we had this one with cheese and they were on sale.
expect a line
We were planning on going to Shilin Night Market after this for the Hot Star chicken steak. But, we found one right here so it saved us a trip to Shilin.
Other than the rain it was a fun day but I was still not feeling well, so we went back to the hotel and stayed in for the rest of the evening.
