Luoyang 6-Day Tour: Laoshan & Penglai Pavilion

早上从洛阳出发，坐高铁一路往东，过了潍坊地势就平了，傍晚进青岛。放下行李去栈桥，四百多米的长堤伸进海里，尽头是回澜阁，涨潮时浪拍在堤脚上。晚饭找家小馆子，辣炒蛤蜊配原浆啤酒。

景点介绍：栈桥建于清光绪年间，最初是北洋水师的军用码头，后来加修了回澜阁，成了青岛的标志。堤身用石块砌成，两侧是防波堤，退潮时露出的滩涂上全是赶海的人。青岛啤酒厂就在市区，原浆不经过滤，保质期只有几天。

温馨提示：十一月青岛的海风比市区低三四度，游客普遍建议加一件防风外套。结合实际情况，我们把栈桥放在到达当晚，天没黑透，灯刚亮，人比白天少一半。蛤蜊按斤称，点之前问一句是活的还是吐过沙的。

上午走八大关，十条路各栽一种树，韶关路是碧桃，居庸关路是银杏，十一月的银杏正黄。中午在太平角吃海鲜。下午上信号山，三座红顶的蘑菇楼立在山头，转一圈能看全老城的红瓦和海。傍晚去小鱼山看落日。

景点介绍：八大关因八条以关隘命名的路得名，实际有十条，上世纪二三十年代这里被划为别墅区，各国风格的房子陆续盖起来，花石楼用花岗岩和鹅卵石混砌，是其中最有名的一座。信号山海拔不到百米，山顶的三座红顶建筑原为信号台。

温馨提示：八大关的路都是上坡下坡，游客普遍反映走一圈要两小时，穿软底鞋。结合实际情况，我们上午走南段，把银杏最好看的那一段放在光顺的时候，下午上信号山，避免正午顶光。花石楼单独收门票，想进就进，不进在门口拍也够。

East to Laoshan in the morning, then the park shuttle into Taiqing along the shore. We move through the Sanguan and Sanqing halls of Taiqing Palace, where the camellia in the courtyard is said to be a thousand years old. Lunch is a fisherman family meal at Qingshan village. In the afternoon we walk toward the pass, the sea below our feet, and return to the city at dusk.

Attraction introduction: Taiqing Palace is the oldest Taoist temple on Laoshan, first built in the Western Han with most present halls rebuilt under the Ming and Qing. The camellia before the Sanguan Hall is attributed to Zhang Sanfeng of the Yuan. Laoshan is a seat of the Complete Reality school, and Qiu Chuji practiced here.

Tips: The south line is the easiest of the Laoshan routes. Guests generally find this one enough, leaving Jufeng and Jiushui for another trip. In practice we buy the 90 yuan south line ticket plus 40 for the shuttle, with Taiqing Palace at 27 extra and the cable car optional. Wind on the ridge takes hats.

North in the morning over the Jiaozhou Bay bridge, reaching Penglai by noon. In the afternoon we enter through Zhenyang Gate, see the Qi Jiguang memorial first, then climb the main pavilion standing on the red cliff with the sea directly below. The cable car runs to Laobeishan, from where the pavilion and cliff read best from the water side. Evening in the old naval harbour.

Attraction introduction: Penglai Pavilion was built in 1061, the sixth year of Jiayou in the Northern Song, and ranks with Tengwang, Yueyang and Yellow Crane pavilions as one of the four great towers of China, set on the cliff top above the sea. The harbour below is a Ming naval base against Japanese raiders, its walls, water gate and batteries intact.

Tips: The cable car is 60 yuan round trip and closes at four in low season. Guests generally find riding before climbing the pavilion better than after. In practice we do the pavilion first since afternoon light suits it and the cable car keeps flexibility. Entry is free over sixty with ID and the cable car half price, so carry the card.

East in the morning, Weihai in a little over two hours. A twenty-minute ferry to Liugong Island, where the Beiyang Fleet headquarters stands with the bell ordered from Germany still in the yard. Lunch on the island. In the afternoon back to town and out along the coastal road to Half Moon Bay, deep blue water and men fishing off the rocks.

Attraction introduction: Liugong Island sits at the mouth of Weihai Bay, three square kilometres, a late Qing naval base with headquarters, temple and the Qiding Mountain battery, and one of the main theatres of the 1894 war. The coastal road hugs the shore, hill on one side and sea on the other, curving constantly with the view always open.

Tips: Ferries run every ten minutes but stop in strong wind. Guests generally find mornings calmer for the crossing. In practice we allow three hours on the island, enough for the headquarters and batteries without queueing at the museum. The coastal road bends a lot, so sit in front if you are prone to carsickness.

A morning walk in Xingfu Park, where a large frame sculpture holds the whole sea. Then the market near Weigao for dried seafood, vacuum-packed mackerel dumpling filling that travels well. Lunch is seafood noodles. In the afternoon we drive back to Qingdao and connect to the train for Luoyang.

Attraction introduction: Weihai holds the easternmost coast of the Shandong peninsula, and the seaside park runs along it with the frame sculpture as its recent landmark. Local seafood means mackerel, sea intestine and hawk-claw shrimp, and mackerel dumplings are home cooking, the fish minced and lifted with chives.

Tips: Markets price weighing and packing separately. Guests generally find it worth agreeing the total before the bag is sealed. In practice the return is set for two in the afternoon, leaving two unhurried hours at the market. Vacuum-packed seafood is fine on a train, but ice packs cannot fly, so split the packing if you fly home.