Day 7

Day 7

Phew!!! Today was a busy one, but it was great, just the same. The irony is that I have fewer pictures to show for the day because

much of it was spent inside the National Palace Museum (a HUGE museum) with Yuan Chuang (Shannon's sister) and Yuan's mother where I couldn't take any pictures legally (although, I did get one with my iPhone that I will upload when I get back home...shhhhh). However, the experience wa

s amazing. I was able to see artifacts from Chinese history galore, to include wonderful pieces of Jade & Bronze, pottery from various Dynasties, A whole lot of Calligraphy, to includ

e a multimedia calligraphy room that had some really cool learning tools. I was able to buy a calendar and got a lot of brochures that I will have to read through when I get some of that elusive free time that people keep talking about once I g

o back to the states.

After the museum, we (Shannon, Yuan, and I) went to lunch at another little eatery before going over to meet Shannon to go to Taipei City Hall and Taipei 101. I was able to get a map of Taiwan and we sat for an hour to rest and have some coffee and dessert. It was a much needed break after the walking we did through the museum.

I think maybe the best part of the day, though, was getting to go to the 73rd floor of Taipei 101 (a REALLY tall building) and visit the Google Office there. I started thinking it would be

a really fun place to work for sure...maybe not my cup of tea, but fun. Anyway, I got some pictures of the city from one of the rooms, but it was a little bit dark to get any kind of panoramic pictures (Sorry Jim). I DID, however, get some cool pictures of the building lit up at night, which is pretty amazing to see. I no longer feel like I have to go to New York except maybe to compare it to Taipei.

After our adventure to the top of Taipei 101, we went to dinner at a Sushi place where we ate what I considered a lot of food...hehe...and had a great time just chatting. This was good for Shannon and Notti because Shannon's mom watched Abigail for them so they could actually enjoy the time...I think they really appreciated it.

All in all, it was another great day. My most sincere thanks go out to Shannon and her family for being such wonderful friends, hosts, and tour guides. I look forward to some day being able to return the favor.