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After we had to leave Changchun in such a hurry, we were able to rest a bit on Pingtan. Surely this was also due to the fact that we arrived before our kitematerial, which was on the road longer than we. And Denny was still working from his home office on the island. By the way, traveling at short notice is the non plus ultra here in China. The flights become cheaper and cheaper up to 3 days before departure, instead of more and more expensive like in our country. But then yo

In August we took a few days off and went to the sea. Kites, fridge, cat in the car and off we went. From Changchun towards Qinghuangdao and stay where it's nice, always along the water. We had a tent on the roof. In Qinghuangdao, the Great Wall of China ends in the sea, which we actually wanted to see, but we didn't even get there. We only got as far as the motorway exit. There we had to turn around again, the police wouldn't let us through. We still don't know what their pr

At the end of May I had my super-duper birthday party. With lots of sunshine, a wonderful cake, champagne and water guns. It was just too hot... And since June, we've been using every weekend again to get to the water. I already introduced you to the spot on the river in the last blog. This time there are also a few kite pictures and a walk of shame from Fabi ;) including getting stuck up to his thigh in the mud. (I helped him, of course, AFTER I took the photo). And we found

March 11 - April 28 2 months 7 weeks 49 days 1176 hours 70560 minutes 4233600 seconds This was our lockdown. From 28 April there were the first relaxations: 1 person per household may leave the residential area on foot 1x a day for 3 hours to buy food, which is limited and sold on allocation, at a maximum distance of 2km... But we stayed at home even the first few days, because they said you needed a permit for these "trips" (and we didn't have one). In addition, there were e

We are now in week 5. Weeks 1 and 2 were quite relaxed. Week 3 had some challenges in terms of getting food. Since week 4 we are no longer allowed to go for a walk. And now, in week 5, there are worries. And there is no end in sight. There is also no date for new talks when an opening might take place. At least not as far as I know. What is our situation? Getting food is turning into a task that is exhausting and nerve-wracking: Since we are no longer allowed to leave the hou

We have reached Lockdown week 3. The snow has melted, there is almost nothing left to fix in our home and we have stopped counting how many times we have been tested by now.... We are still allowed to walk freely in the residential area, but we are no longer allowed to leave it. The small supermarket is also closed, but delivers the ordered food to the door. We now order by mobile phone. The big supermarket "Walmart" is completely empty and fresh fruit and vegetables are diff

There are barely any people on the road. Almost no cars are driving. It is quiet in Changchun. Snow has been falling continuously since last week Friday. And since March 11, the city has been in lockdown. At noon on Friday, we received the following message via our Chinese WhatsApp: 鉴于我市近期出现多点散发新冠确诊病例，为有效控制疫情扩散蔓延，市疫情防控指挥部决定，在全市范围内启动三轮全员核酸检测，现将有关事项通知如下： 一、机关居家办公，企事业单位停止运营。除参与防疫工作的人员之外，全市所有行政事业单位人员全部居家办公；除市里确定的重点企业、保障民生的公共服务类企业之外，所有企业一律停业；除保障市民基本需要的超市、药店、特需医疗机构之外，其他营业门店一律停业；学校停

After our adventure in the snow village, we arrived safely in Changchun. And soon everyday life had us back. That includes keeping our appointments, of course. For our last routine check, we wanted to go to the hospital 10 days after the snow village. There is the international practice where we have to register. We didn't get there at all. We were stopped at the entrance and not allowed to go any further. Reason: According to our "green arrow" we were supposed to have been i

For a few days we went to THE Chinese snow village. Here is the Google Location How did we find this? Denny checked his weather app to see where there was still snow! Here in Changchun it had last snowed in December and since the climate here is so dry, the snow "evaporates" despite the continuous minus temperatures. So we booked a hotel room, packed our travel bags, loaded the skis into the roof box and drove 5 hours in a north-easterly direction. However, what was not ment

The year 2021 is over, the new one a month old. How long did your resolutions last? Did you have any resolutions at all for the new year? Good resolutions for the new year are often the result of expectations, wishes and resolutions from last year that were not fulfilled, not heeded and not kept. So, what did you resolve to do last year, what did you bring out of the woodwork for this year, and what did you perhaps already discard? My resolution: to put the phone aside for ha