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Train station concert, Jiufen, Taiwan

We took a day trip from Taipei to Jiufen, the site of Hou Hsiao-Hsien's City of Sadness (I have yet to see the movie; I can't seem to locate a copy with English subtitles). We hiked a path through the mountains and arrived from on top of the city. The views towards the ocean and on to Keelung in the distance were spectacular.

In town, we spent the afternoon squeezing our way through the throngs of Chinese tourists flooding Jishan Street. We ate shaved ice too cool ourselves down and then bowls of noodles which warmed us back up. We sampled delicious assorted cream mochi and potato, thinly sliced in one continuous spiral and fried on a stick.

At the end of the street we looked into the competing tea houses, one of which was featured in the film, and one of which featured views to the ocean. Winding our way down, we passed some of the original mines, and then walked through one of the original tunnels that cut through the earth. We kept walking down until we reached a plot of land that served as the bus station, where we caught a bus to the train station.

There, a stage had been set up and a group of violinists were warming up for a performance. Their teacher busied herself about the stage arranging them for the camera. Parents were lined up in front taking photos. They played "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" and Chinese songs. Sophia recognized some of them. We watched and we waited for our train.