Beer, beer, beer

Well it ain't exactly Oktoberfest, but we're having a pretty swell time up here in Qindao. Jess has actually been to Oktoberfest, where she says there's non-stop music in the beer tents and everyone gets up every five minutes to raise their glasses for a drinking song. We were in one beer tent where the entertainment was auctioning off Chinese paintings...

At the beach Saturday morning I bargained my way into proud ownership of a 60-kuai giant sombrero. The shop owner started the price at double that, which means it's probably worth about 12 kuai, but it's rare that I feel like I don't get totally hosed in a bargaining situation. For another 20 kuai she threw in a pointy rice hat for James. Our hats won us lots of new friends and free beer once we got to the beer festival.

For awhile we sat at the table with the festival organizer, took lots of pictures, ate lots of meat skewers and tiny clams.

Jess has designs on swimming in the ocean at some point, I'm not so sure. The beach is so so so crowded. Just a month ago I was back in Oregon, with Oregon beaches fresh in my mind, walking along the pier yesterday morning was a little bit ... yuck. They have jet skis in the harbor, but a dude drives it for you, you just get to ride.

Also yesterday morning, we walked up to this grand old Catholic church, built when Qingdao was under German control. We counted no less than 15 different couples taking their wedding pictures, in front of the main gate there was a different woman every 10 feet, posed with her legs folded under her and her dress all spread out.

Time for breakfast!