We have emerged from the greyness of a Nanjing winter into the sunlit balmy days of spring and all the promises that brings. Today I decided to get the bus over to Xuanwu Lake because I had heard there was a pizza festival there and by 2pm I was hungry and lookig for lunch. A pizza festival seemed like an ideal if a little unhealthy, lunch solution.
On arriving at Xuanwu gate I was greeted by throngs of Nanjingers making the most of the first warm Sunday of the year to wander through the gates into the park. Only on national holidays had I ever seen such crowds there.
But even though half the population of Nanjing was shuffling along shoulder to shoulder there was a very pleasant atmosphere with loads of kite flyers (and trainees!), jugglers, ice-cream seller, drinks and souvenir stalls.
However my stomach was rumbling and even though I looked everywhere I could not see the pizza festival. After 15 minute of wandering around aimlessly looking and smelling the air for the aroma of mozzarella and salami, I gave up and headed back to the metro.
Then, at the end of the road I saw a couple of mostly empty stalls, some with pasta sauces and several manned by very bored looking Chinese college students. Ah, this must be the pizza festival. I wanted pizza badly but the deal was that I had to buy a ticket for £10 and then they would cook me a pizza. I like pizza, but £10, is rather steep for a pizza cooked in a tent by a Chinese student. So I pocketed my dosh and headed home.
Today I packed away my winter clothes in the hope and expectation that spring is truly here and that, as is normal here, summer will be only several weeks away. And that is nothing to be celebrated as we all know. So let’s make the most of the spring and hope that summer waits a little longer to show itself.