Qingdao is the oddest little city. It's got a lot going on: first of all, it was occupied by the Germans (and then the Japanese), who imported European architecture, religion, and of course, German beer. Second, it's an important port city, where the sailing parts of the Beijing Olympics took place. Beaches, beer, and endless seafood... perfect for a weekend getaway.
My friend Caitlin and I took a long weekend to check out the city. And like marijuana brings young backpackers to Amsterdam only to realize the city has more to offer than pot brownies, young foreign travelers may come for the beer but soon find it's a pretty darn charming place to visit.
Our first day, we stopped at the Catholic church erected by the German occupants, which has apparently now become an incredibly popular place for Chinese brides to take their wedding pictures. Caitlin's the actual Catholic, the Jew just came along for the strange translations and cool organ.
We walked around the city a bit, taking in the interesting architecture and enjoying the sunshine. But our goal for the day was the Tsingtao beer museum, and that's where we headed next. Tsingtao (which is the
Wade Giles way to transliterate the name of the city, which in
Pinyin is Qingdao.) The museum was very typical Chinese, with weird misspellings and odd, inexplicable exhibits (like a section with a stationary bike you could pretend to ride. In the beer museum. Burn off those beer calories, perhaps?) But it was pretty informative, and features some very 90's beer commercials. The museum plaques constantly touted that Tsingtao beer is
the world's most popular beer, which is surprising since most people have never heard of it. But the whole Tsingtao complex was awesome and also FREE BEER.
 |
| Golden ticket! |
 |
| Caitlin and me at the beer fountain |
 |
| Barley for taste testing. It was gross but weirdly addictive |
 |
OOOO MAGIC BEER FOUNTAIN!
WHERE IS THE GOLDEN AMBROSIA COMING FROM?
IT'S A MYSTERY! |
 |
| Free beer! |
 |
This was called the "drunk tank."
It was like a funhouse where the floor is slanted and it's hard to balance.
I guess that's what being drunk feels like? |
The rest of the day was spent eating seafood and drinking beer: an excellent combination.
 |
| Night market fish |
Our next day, we wandered from the main beachfront area hiked through a few parks, including one with the famous May Fourth sculpture. We also visited the former German governor's mansion, which was stunning.
 |
| Hunting for shells |
 |
| Catch of the day! |
 |
| Illegal photo of the mansion's greenhouse |
 |
| The modern May Fourth scultpure |
Caitlin, who comes from a family of avid sailers, was also super excited to check out the boats at the Olympic dock.
And the next morning, despite the disgusting-ness of the dirty, trash filled ocean, I went for a swim. My choice of bathing wear confused most of the locals, while their choice of
facekini protection baffled me equally, if not more.
 |
After this selfie was taken, I posed (sopping wet)
for photos with various vacationing families. |
But the most important thing you need to know about Qingdao is that it is not uncommon to forgo the famous green bottles in which Tsingtao beers usually come and go straight to the source: use a keg to fill a plastic bag with beer. Stick a straw in the bag. And there you go! Beer in a bag. Easy, convenient, and veeery ghetto.
 |
| Beer in a normal bottle |
 |
| Bagged beer |
 |
| It's like a juice box, but for beer. |
The city is worth a visit: if not for the water sports, seafood, and quirky German influence, then definitely for the beer bag.
