Gulangyu island, the love story of roaming

In January p>217, I took my son to Gulangyu Island and Xiamen Island, and arranged a five-day trip. It is fresh, literary, quiet and warm here, suitable for strolling, staring blankly and strolling. This slow-paced life is really what I imagined. We lived in Gulangyu and Xiamen for two days, wandering around aimlessly, looking at the beautiful scenery and eating local food. We also encountered some warmth and touch during the trip, and gained the "meaning of travel" in my heart.

On the return flight, the son said, Mom, will we come again? I love Gulangyu Island! I replied, I will. When I was in Gulangyu, I made an appointment with the carambola yard there, with the little cat that eats bacon, with the flowers in the alley, and with the beautiful and quiet sea. So, we will definitely come back! The son smiled.

It's been two months since I returned to Shanghai, and I'm still thinking about Gulangyu Island. Maybe I've been fascinated by this fresh and free island! Therefore, I want to use words to relive the warmth and touch, harvest and income of this trip. This is also an account of your heart!

when traveling, I never join a group, and I don't like to do any raiders. I always like to go where I want to go and be happy with it. If you want to care in advance, you can only stay. I will spend a lot of time looking at the comments of netizens on various platforms. First, I will screen out two or three hotels according to word of mouth, and then I will determine the final choice from the aspects of hotel transportation, software and hardware, characteristics, catering and surrounding environment. Facts have proved that such a careful choice is very worthwhile. Every time I travel, the hotels I stay in are all very cost-effective, and on the whole, they are very suitable for my taste, leaving me with a deep memory and a good impression.

So, if you want to see a guidebook about scenic spots, you must not expect anything from me. Traveling to a city, I may not be able to visit a few places, because my time is spent in places that many people think are not worth it. I may spend an afternoon at the seaside, watching the waves beating on the beach, watching my son play with sand and build a castle; It is also possible to sit for a long time in a coffee shop that you meet halfway, watching people come and go, listening to interesting chats of waiters, and reading books with your son; It is also possible to stroll around a favorite specialty shop for a long time, buy some interesting souvenirs, and talk with the owner; It may also take an hour to sit down beside the wandering artists, quietly listen to their songs and share their feelings; It is more likely that because I want to trim my state, I will sit on the balcony of the hotel for several hours, reading books, listening to music, and even sleeping in the hotel room.

So, strictly speaking, I'm not a suitable traveler to travel with, because I'm too free. Generally, no one can stand a companion like me, except my son, because I have taken him on a trip like this since he was very young. So in his mind, travel should be like this.

on this trip, I booked a famous hotel in Gulangyu-carambola yard and Anhai Road branch. Those comments on the Internet deeply attracted me and made me believe that carambola yard must be a very suitable hotel for me. Therefore, after several days of constant inquiry, comparison and entanglement, I finally booked this homestay in Gulangyu.

after the plane arrived at Xiamen airport, we called a taxi and arrived at sanqiutian wharf smoothly. I booked the boat ticket online before I left, so I just need to print the boat voucher at the window, which is very convenient. If only adults travel, this procedure can also be ignored, just use your ID card to check in and take the boat.

After taking the ferry at Sanqiutian Wharf, we arrived at Gulangyu Island in a short time, and it was near evening. After disembarking, my son and I searched all the way according to the text message sent in advance by the carambola yard. It takes about fifteen minutes from the dock until we find the carambola yard on Anhai Road covered with green plants and flowers.

when we arrived at the gate of the carambola yard, the lights were already on.

I had a good look at the carambola yard before I entered the door. The arched gate, covered with red brick walls, and the high-hanging signboard reads "Carambola Garden Coffee Hotel" in Chinese and English, which is particularly fresh and quiet under the background of a large cluster of yellow flowers and beautiful green plants. I'm almost sure this is my favorite place.

Walking into the gate, there is a very big yard. This outdoor space is divided into several patchwork areas.

There is a very large wooden long table, which looks like natural wood without any carving and decoration. Because it retains the original color of wood, it looks particularly simple and chic. There are several rattan chairs around, and small glass bottles with one or two flowers are randomly placed on the table. There are several tourists sitting at the table chatting, looking like three or two friends who have come out to travel together.

There are two or three tables for four, with awnings on them, lace tablecloths pressed with glass, and small vases with flowers on them, which are simple and fresh. Presumably, in rainy days, tourists can sit down here, drink a cup of coffee, read a book, enjoy the beautiful scenery in the yard and see the comings and goings of travelers. There is nothing more beautiful in life.

There is also a small area similar to a rockery, which is higher than other areas as a whole. Some tables for two are placed everywhere, and the space is more private. There are one or two couples talking and laughing softly here.

Another area is the bar of the hotel, which is artistically and fresh. Anyway, it is what I like. This bar is also the reception area for passengers, which is used to check in and check out. There are several hotel guests sitting in front of the bar, drinking and chatting. The years are so quiet!

After looking around, I have put my heart at rest for a hundred times. My decision is right. This is really my favorite place.

When entering the courtyard gate, a male waiter rushed forward, took my suitcase, smiled at us and led us to the bar. The warm and familiar feeling was very wonderful, just like saying to me: Welcome home! When I checked in, I was sitting in a chair at the bar, chatting with the waitress inside while checking in, and looking at the bright smile on her face, I suddenly had an illusion. Isn't it my first time here? How can there be such a familiar feeling? What makes you feel like you've been here before?

led by the waiter, we came to the second floor along the stairs. I reserved a terrace garden room, so the room is very spacious, and there is a big terrace outside. Looking out is the bar downstairs, and from a distance, you can see the whole yard. There is a small round table on the terrace with two small chairs beside it. I stand on the terrace and enjoy the fresh air at night, and the fatigue of the journey is swept away. Tomorrow I can sit on the terrace drinking coffee, reading and watching people coming and going in the yard. How pleasant it would be!

at this moment, I can finally tell myself for sure, Gulangyu, I'm coming!

after a sweet night's sleep, I woke up at about eight o'clock in the morning. Go to the terrace and look out. Two waiters in the bar downstairs are busy, making coffee, baking toast, frying eggs and bacon. In the yard, there are already tourists in twos and threes eating breakfast in the open air, some talking softly, some alone, eating breakfast quietly, and occasionally looking up at the carambola trees in the yard.

I stood on the terrace and watched quietly for a while, and went to have breakfast with my son. We didn't go to the open-air yard, but chose an indoor restaurant that we had to go through when we walked from the room to the yard. The restaurant was decorated with flavor and there were two or three lovely meows in it.

The waiter brought the hot standard set meal, two or three slices of toast, two slices of bacon, two fried eggs, a cup of freshly ground coffee, and my son ordered freshly squeezed juice. The food was fresh and rich. I feel like I'm at home with a good friend, and I feel at home and comfortable.

The piano music "Bai Yueguang" is playing softly on the stereo in the restaurant. At this moment, in the carambola yard of Gulangyu Island, I cried when I heard the melody. Without warning. Perhaps, just a certain melody touched a corner of my heart! Yes, everyone has a period of sadness, everyone has some past, but time will help us repair everything. Even if things change, I only hope that we are still the original innocent appearance. Facing life, I cried, laughed and experienced, but still full of expectation and hope.

after breakfast, my son and I are going to play with the cat for a while. While we were eating, a little white cat kept staring at the bacon on my plate, so I specially left a piece for it. I put the plate on the floor and motioned for the cat to come and eat. The kitten sneaked over and ate the bacon beautifully, and kept licking the plate. It was so cute!

After teasing the lovely cat for a while, we said goodbye to it. We went back to our room to get a good map, put on our backpacks and started our stroll on Gulangyu Island.

Gulangyu Island is indeed a city suitable for walking slowly and feeling slowly. My son and I walked out along Anhai Road at the entrance of the carambola yard and visited the Oriental Fishbone Museum, Organ Museum and Bagua Building. That is to say, when I see a new place, I will discuss with my son whether to visit it. If both of us are interested, we will buy tickets to enter the house. All the places are very close, so it's not tiring to walk around. And each place does have its own characteristics, so we still have some gains.

However, what I like better is the colorful flowers in the alleys I met on the road. I prefer to watch my son's back running happily on the ancient stone road, and I have to turn around and wave my hand at me from time to time; I prefer to watch the painter's focused eyes when painting landscape sketch by the roadside; I even prefer the creeper that I met on the road and covered with walls. You see, I'm really not a normal traveler.

In front of a painter, my son and I asked him to help us draw a colorful cartoon with mother and son in the same frame, which was very childlike and lovely. I think this is also a good idea that can be preserved.

We walked to the most lively Longtou Road, where we wanted to settle our lunch. Then, after a stroll, we found that we didn't need to eat lunch anymore, because those delicious special snacks had already fed us.

People who have been to Gulangyu must know how busy Longtou Road is and how familiar those famous shops are, such as Zhang Sanfeng's, Su Xiaotang's, Miss Zhao's, the Federal Tea Adjustment Bureau, Zhu Tousan's and Lu Ama's.

And some local food stalls sell all kinds of local snacks, such as fried oysters, grilled squid, fish balls and grass burning, which can't be described. My son and I went shopping until we couldn't eat anything anymore.

We bought some gifts and some strange gadgets, sat in the square of Longtou Road for a while and watched the tourists coming and going around. The square is almost full of people standing, sitting and squatting to eat. It is crowded and noisy. We suddenly lost interest in going shopping and decided to go back to the hotel and see if there is any coffee shop where we can have a rest.

after walking for more than ten minutes, I saw a small coffee shop on the corner with its name written on the signboard, drifting slowly. It's a very literary name, and the style from the door is also small and fresh, so we decided to go in, have a drink, read some books and have a rest.

when I entered the coffee shop, I found that this shop not only sells coffee, but also provides postcard delivery service. There are many shops in Gulangyu that deliver postcards for tourists.

and this store has gone even further. There are rows of small drawers in the store to store all kinds of postcards according to the date. From January 1 to December 31, there is one drawer every day to store the postcards of tourists separately. It is said that there can be such a mailing method. You can make an appointment for a good day in a coffee shop, and then on a certain day every year, the coffee shop can send a postcard for you, some for your lover and some for yourself, which sounds so romantic and warm. I suddenly understood the meaning of this store name. It turned out to be "drifting slowly"! Postcards drifting from the warm Gulangyu Island to the destination, year after year, the recipient slowly gets every touch and warmth in the passage of time. I fell in love with this special coffee shop instantly.

I ordered something with my son, and read the books with me while drinking. Also just have a rest. From time to time, there will be several people asking to send postcards on their behalf, most of whom are sent to themselves. Perhaps, this is a hope sent by "myself in Gulangyu" to "myself in that city" where I live!

After sitting in the coffee shop for nearly an hour, it's almost time for dinner, thinking about returning to the carambola yard early and enjoying the rest of the day. Before that, we can enjoy a light and beautiful dinner in the restaurant that we pass by, Regeneration Sea. When we came out in the morning, we had already seen this restaurant near the carambola yard. I was fascinated by its name, attracted by the decoration style in the store and the food photos on the signboard at the door, and thought that I had to pull weeds here tonight.

Walking all the way back, we looked at the beautiful scenery and passed by strange people, so we came to the door of Regenerated Sea Restaurant.

There are not many diners in it, but it is quiet. The tables and chairs are quaint and elegant, and there are many succulents in the store that I can't name. A mother and son run this restaurant together. The mother is in her fifties, gentle and kind, speaks very softly and very slowly, and her smile has a special kind taste. The son is in his early twenties, wears glasses, and is polite and shy. And all these elements combine to form my favorite tone.

We ordered beer ginger duck, boiled asparagus, and salt-baked mackerel. I ordered seafood with rice as the staple food, and my son ordered clear soup and seafood noodles. The food was served quickly, and all the dishes were served. It looked like light, fresh and delicious food. My son and I suddenly felt hungry. Everything we ate on the leading road in the afternoon seemed to be gone, and both mother and son feasted. In less than an hour, the food was swept away by us. Then, my son and I decided to come here for dinner before leaving Gulangyu tomorrow night.

after walking out of the regeneration sea for about 5 minutes, we returned to the carambola yard, which still smelled like it when I first saw it last night. Tourists in twos and threes talk softly in various areas, and some tables still have candlesticks; Several young people were sitting at the bar drinking and laughing happily, but it didn't make people feel noisy; There is a hanging chair under the carambola tree, which is fixed on the tree with a rope, like a swing. There is a 4-or 5-year-old boy sitting on it, and his mother next to him is pushing the chair gently. The chair slowly rocks back and forth, and the boy gives a crisp and loud smile. In addition to the sweet carambola flavor and the smell of the sea floating in the distance, there is another gentle feeling flowing slowly in the air in the yard. I just stood there and watched, and time seemed to freeze at this moment. Writing here, my eyes are red and I miss that moment. What should I do? )

I walked across the yard with my son, ready to go back to my room. After passing the bar, the waiter inside smiled at us and said, are you back? My son and I replied with a smile, yes, yes