Following a brief rest at the hotel, we took the elevator up to the new bar and restaurant on the 51st floor of the Crowne Plaza for a glass of wine before we headed out to dinner. The bar provides a nice lounging area with a panoramic view of the city of Xian, which would be stunning were it not for the smog.
There we met our new friends Kathy and Larry, with whom before-dinner drinks would become a regular occurrence on the remainder of the trip. While we were there, their new French chef, Guillaume, introduced himself and welcomed us. He's a very personable fellow, who has been in China for about ten years, and is now operating the only French restaurant in Xian. Actually, it may be the only French restaurant in China; regardless, we had a very nice conversation with Guillaume about his life as a Frenchman in present-day China. As he had trained with Jean Georges and Paul Bocuse, I truly wish we had the opportunity to dine there, but with our schedule it just couldn't happen.
After our drinks, we took the glass elevator back down to the lobby, where we joined those of Jack's Group who were attending the optional Tang Dynasty Dinner and Show this evening. From 618-907 AD, the Tang Dynasty presided over one of China's most glorious cultural periods, and we were treated to a small sample of the song, dance, and gorgeous costumes of this era.
Instead of the usual one glass of soft drink policy, we were permitted unlimited soft drinks, along with unlimited "milky wine". We thought this would be like sake, but were quite disappointed when it was a warm sweet concoction, that didn't lend itself to unlimited consumption. The food was also not particularly memorable, but the show made up for what the meal lacked.
The show was narrated in English, which was very nice for us, and the music was provided by a live orchestra of traditional Tang Dynasty instruments. The costumes were absolutely gorgeous, so colorful and bright. Unfortunately, we forgot to bring our camera, and I only got a couple of shots with my phone. I did take a video, but the file is too large to email, and I can't get my usb connection to work right now. I'll keep working on it....
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