Brunch at the Westin Hotel, Shanghai

If you want to experience one of the best Sunday Brunches in the world and you happen to be in Shanghai you have to try the Brunch at the Westin Hotel on the Bund! For about 600 Yuan you get everything that you can think of! Free flow of French Champagne, caviar, goose liver, fresh seafood, wonderful desserts and a spectacular show of acrobatics and opera! Make sure to book your table as it books up well in advace and has for many years! Come early and enjoy the wonderful food and drinks for hours!
Bund Center, 88 Henan Central RoadShanghai,

• Shanghai
• 200002
• China
• Map

• Phone: (86)(21) 6335 1888

Mint Nightclub -Shanghai

Mint Nightclub is the posh place to be in Shanghai. Located in a skyscraper not far from the Bund it offers great views of the city skyline as well. It has a great bar, a lounge, a big dance floor and a nice restaurant. The clientele is a mix of local Chinese with foreigners. The younger guests are by the dance floor and the older guests in the restaurant for dinner and then move over to the dancefloor when they feel younger later at night! The music is house, eclectic house funky house and mash. There is a door policy so call ahead if you want to be sure to come in! Weekdays are more easy to get in of course. The drinks are to be found from regular to astronomical prices!  Don't miss the huge fishtank with sharks swimming in it!
Love the place!
24/F, 318 Fuzhou Lu,
near Shandong Zhong Lu
福州路318号24楼,
近山东路
6391-2811
www.m1ntglobal.com

Din Tai Fung - Hong Kong

If you are in Hong Kong and would like to eat some really good dumplings you have to visit Din Tai Fung! This chain of dumpling restaurants are to be found in many places in the world like Shanghai, Singapore, Malaysia, the US among other places. The origin of these greats small Xiaolongbao ( small stemed buns) is from Taiwan. You just have to try them! Fill your mouth with not only the traditional ones filled with pork or prawns but the ones with gooseliver. WOW! Enyoy a great Chinese tea like Po Er to it, if it is for lunch. In Hong Kong you find Din Tai Fung both in Kowloon and on Hong Kong Island.
Din Tai Fung, 20 Canton RD Kowloon. +852 2730 6928
Din Tai Fung, G/F 68 Yee Woo Street, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong +852 3160 8998
Enyoy!

Atelier Brancusi at Centre Pompidou, Paris, France

A hidden gem in the art world of Paris is the Atelier of the sculptor Brancusi. Brancusi that was born in Romania 1876 left his country for Munich but did not like it there so as he did not have any money he just walked to Paris were he stayed the rest of his life. He is famous for the shapes of birds, the egg/face and the pillars of eternity. As an old man he decided to give his 3 room atelier as a gift to the French state, the country that he loved. The Italian Architect Renzo Piano then made this building just outside the museum Centre Pompidou for this gift. Here you can see his great works and it is surprisingly few people here so it gives you a rather intimate feeling to it. Yet another must see in Paris!
The Atelier is open daily 14.00-18.00 except Tuesdays and located in front of the Centre Pompidou to the left!

Pingyao, one of the best kept ancient cities in the world!

About 700 km from Beijing and 80 km from Taiyuan you find one of the best kept ancient cities in the world - Pingyao. This city dates back over 2700 years but had its glorious days durning the Ming and Ching dynasties. One of the few city walls from the 1400-th century China is still there and as you can see on this picture the city still has a great feeling to it. Pingyao was the financial centre of China during the Ching dynasty until last century when cities like Shanghai and Beijing took over. Here in Pingyao you can find old hostels to stay at as well as some cool boutique hotels. The city has about 450.000 inhabitants and 50.000 still live inside the city wall. This is a place to visit before the building boom of China reaches here as well. Take a train from Beijing to Taiyuan and then a bus to Pingyao.
Have a great stay!

Tsujikura Lantern and Umbrella Shop, Kyoto

Wherever you walk in old Kyoto you find these beautiful lanterns outside the restaurants and shops and sometimes if you are lucky you see a geisha with a traditional Japanese umbrella in her hand, The manufacturer Tsujikura has been in business since 1590 and now the 18th generation is taking care of the production. So if you want to bring home one of these umbrellas or lanterns you should visit their store in central Kyoto next to the Takashimaya department store. It is located on the 7th floor of a modern dark gray building. They come in different prices and some at really good value. The ladies working there are so lovely too!
7F Tsujikura Bldg, Higashi-gawa Shijyo Noburu, Kawaramachi-dori, Tyukyo-Ku, Kyoto 604-80-26
Tel 075-221 4396
Open Thursday-Tuesday 11.00-19.00

Matsumoto Castle, Japan

If you want to visit an original Castle in Japan one good option is to go to the city of Matsumoto. This castle is one of the four old castles in Japan that are considered national treasures. This castle is one of the few in Japan that is original and black in color. The Matsumoto Castle was built in 1592 and was used by 23 war lords over time. This is a great place to see how the construction of a castle was made and there is also a nice presentation of arms from that time.
Matsumoto is a 2,5 hours ride on the train from Shinjuku in Tokyo and then a 15 minutes walk from the JR station. The castle is open daily from 08.30-16.30 and the cost is 600 yen for adult and 300 yen for children. As you can see the Japanese Alps are around this city and from the top of the castle you have a great view over them.