Wednesday, February 03, 2021

Wandering Wednesday - Macau

 For Wandering Wednesday today, a blast from the wayback machine, a visit to Macau in 2014. This was a weekend trip that we took when we lived in Shenzhen, China. It was a very quick trip via a small commuter ship. 


The streets were as crowded as any in Hong Kong or Shenzhen. Including the man wearing the rambutan head.
It was a bustling place, but the vibe was really different.
The world's weirdest grout, seriously what is this stuff?
The Ruins of Saint Paul's, only the facade remains of the 17th century Portuguese church. 
Oh hey, there's Marc, blending into the crowd with his bright green shirt.

It was always fun to see the Chinese spin on cultural historical things like this.
I was quite taken with the scrolling hedge work as you walked up the steps.
The steps were quite the tourist draw.
It was a very nice view from up there.


Looking back down the steps. The gaudy gold strangely shaped building is one of the zillions of casinos in Macau.
It was such a strange sight, only the facade still standing.
Underneath the facade, there is a crypt and museum. MATER DEI above the entrance.
There were some great details carved into the remains, some influenced by the Chinese style. This was and still is a crossroads kind of place, lots of cultures banging up against each other.

3 comments:

Jaye said...

It is interesting that that is named St. Paul's Church, though Mater Dei means 'mother of God'. I would think that the church was called Mater Dei? Perhaps it was then changed its name? The description of the facade (https://theculturetrip.com/asia/china/articles/a-brief-history-of-the-ruins-of-st-pauls/) sounds really amazing. I especially like the dove. I'm glad you got to visit.

Julie Zaccone Stiller said...

It is interesting about the names, I think it had its name changed many times over the years. It was such a different thing compared to the rest of what we saw while in China.

Jaye said...

There was an interesting article I found when I did a search. One reason I like to travel is learning about new places.