Three words – BACK-TO-SCHOOL = 1 word – Wahhhoooooo!!!

Love love love them, but it’s so nice to have a little uninterrupted time to finally to sit back, relax and catch up with a friend.  And Qingdao’s coffee street, Minjiang 2 lu,  was a great place for a meet up.

Minjiang 2 lu is a quaint, tree-lined street with a handful of little boutiques, cafes and restaurants.

Does it get better than this?

This “snow ice” is one of my favorite Chinese desserts.  An updated version of the ubiquitous American snow cone, but smoother with the look and feel of threaded cotton.  Add sugar, coconut milk, almond chips, and ohhhh boy!

You can find it here at Cafe Kona.

 

Think you just walked out onto Montana street in Santa Monica? Nope! This is Qingdao.

 

 

Somewhat hidden, this is one serious tea shop.  They may skip over flair and fancy marketing, but once I got a whiff of their fragrant teas, I didn’t want to leave.

 

Had a pretty good plate of Speghetti carbonara at this restaurant, Hausbrand (sorry, no pict, I scarfed it down).

Here’s the street:

Now wasn’t that better than going to Starbucks?