day 176: 兰州 (Lanzhou) = 0km

I took my new shoes for a little stroll downtown today:

Walking without constant pain felt very nice, but I found that there were certain others who had it made even better than me:

Why don’t I have anyone to carry me home like that?

Pure envy on my part:

So anyways I saw the Yellow River again today:

And it was still large, and seemed to flow just a little bit faster than last time (February 19th 2008).

The riverbanks were filled with opportunities for amusement:

…places to have dinner afloat:

…and places to have beer:

…lots and lots of beer:

“喝啤酒大赛” - “beer drinking contest”.

All the empty bottles on this picture had been the result of only one week regular business, by the way.

…

I kept wandering on the south bank of the river, when suddenly I noticed some dudes trying to put out a fire on a construction site:

It didn’t last long, and the fire didn’t manage to get really big and exciting.

But I liked it anyways.

Then I was on 中山桥 (Zhongshan bridge), one of the most remarkable sights of this city:

Built in 1907 with the massive support of Germany, this beauty is often referred to as the “First Bridge over the Yellow River”, because it was in fact the first attempt at a solid metal structure.

And it has been standing there ever since.

I had been to this place before, in the summer of 2006:

…and I think since then, my photography has apparently seen some improvement.

Soundtrack: Jean Gabin - “Quand On S’Promène Au Bord De L’eau”

—total: 2275,5km