We’re back………but from where?

Whew, that was a long trip for us…… but it was well worth it.

I guess you're wondering where we went? Of course, you know I'm not just going to blurt things out…. so let's see if you can identify where in the world we visited. I'll give you clues….. and you let me know. As always you can click on the photos to enlarge.

1 – We started and ended our trip here.

You'll instantly know where just by this photo.

Of course this iconic view gives it all away……

2 – Speaking of icons, this city, where we started and ended our trip to our real destination is full of them. Here are a few…….

Both old…..

And new…..

And we couldn't leave without trying an iconic dish.

3 – Our third destination is perhaps a bit harder. Especially if we started with this photo.

I'm thinking this might help…..

 
The seafood here is great….

 
And if you've been reading our blog long enough; this will give it away.

4 – We both wish we spent a bit more time, longer than just one night at our next stop. It is pretty difficult to figure out, even with what we were told is a classic dish for the city:

With the help of that wonderful tool, the Internet, you'll be able to figure out where based on this.

5 – Our next stop is difficult to figure out by just scenic photos alone.

 
So here's a classic dish from the area…..

6 – Next on the agenda was a wonderful city. Known for their beautiful gardens, we'd like to visit again.

Still can't figure it out? Try this dish……

7 – I really didn't know what to expect on our next stop. We both ended up enjoying one of  the most tastefully done monuments on our trip.

We also enjoyed the South Gate here….

In spite of the rather conservative look, the city is not without color…..

Like many cities, this one is known for snacks and small dishes. Several restaurants have large "set" menus, where you can taste a good selection of items.

Here's one of the most well known dishes of this city.

 
8 – The next stop was a key hub on the Silk Road. And many of the dishes the city is known for reflects this. You take this bread…..

Break it into small pieces. It is covered in mutton, and mutton broth…..

Delici-yoso!!! The city also has a famed Muslim Quarter, where something is always cooking…..

Packed to the rafters during the evening, you can hit the street side stands, or restaurants like this….

For excellent Baozi….

Still can't figure it out? How about this?

This one makes it almost too easy…..

9 – You'll be able to figure out which province the next city is in just by the following two photos alone.

And this not so little fellow makes it obvious……

10 – I don't expect you folks to figure out our last unique destination. But thought I'd post a couple of photos, of this "smaller" (pop. 1,400,000) city for you.

So there you have it…….

I'd say that we didn't eat anything particularly exotic, but there were a few interesting items.

Amazingly, I ate like crazy (as you can see), but lost almost twelve pounds!

And as usual, the trip was not without some rather tense moments.

And I'm hoping that at least a few of my photos will look(I know, it's supposed to be smell – but I haven't figured out how to incorporate smell-o-vision yet) so good that "you'll want to get off your horse and eat".

 
I still need to regroup, so I'm hoping you'll be able to hang in there…..

For maybe a day or so? I'll provide all the answers then…….

Thanks so much for dropping by and reading!!!