A mix of Portuguese and China

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Geo: 22.2027, 113.541

Macau. ChinaFebruary 2013.We flew into HongKong and then took the ferry across to Macau.We arrived late and stayed in the Venetian Hotel. Amazing.We walked around the complex at it was like we were in Venice. Everything is under cover but it feels like you are outside at dusk.The following morning it was time to site see.We walked to the old Portuguese area.Our lady of Carmel church was built in 1885. The church stands on a hill overlooking the sea and it is on a tight corner so it's very hard to photograph. We walked to Rou do Cunha which has a wide variety of Portuguese restaurants and shops and we had lunch in a tiny place with a very narrow and steep staircase.We spent most of the day walking the streets and surprisingly it didn't feel like we were in China.That night at the Venetian they had an amazing light show. It was the time of the Chinese New Year. Lots of color and music. Very cool.That night the kids wanted to have an early night so we headed out to the casino downstairs.We had a bit of good fortune. HK $301.00.The following day we headed out to the most famous church which is only the facade of a church. The ruins of St. Paul's.The Ruins of St. Paul's was originally the Church of Mater Dei built in 1602-1640 and was destroyed by fire in 1835. The facade is stunning. It stands up on top of a flight of stairs. The light that comes threw the windows makes it very magical. Usually church windows are very dark from the outside but these are amazing. We than headed up to the Fortress Armourial Gate. From there you can see the city.The view is great looking at the old and new buildings. There are also a series of cannons along the wall that the kids really loved.From there we walked to the Rua de S. Paulo. Macau is really a strange mix of Portuguese and Chinese. The style of the buildings. The cobbled stone pavements. The food. It's a real interesting experience and one of you favorite places. I really liked the mix of the culture.

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