南京

Trip to Nanjing

Since this has been the last week we’ll spend in China together, Rachel and I decided to take just one more trip – to one of our favorite cities in China: Nanjing. We travelled to Nanjing last year at around this time too, but we went to give a lecture on celebrating the New Year in various countries. We only had one extra day aside from our lecture, so we didn’t get much time to explore the city. However, in the time that we were there, we did get to experience the good vibes that Nanjing sends off, and we decided we’d love to come again and see more of the city.

We also experienced something of a phenomenon when we went to Nanjing last year. The group of people I was with decided we were tired of Chinese food, so let’s try something new – how about this Irish Pub in our hotel? And so, we unknowingly ventured into Danny’s Irish Pub at the Sheraton in Nanjing, where we were soon to have our minds blown and baffled. What happened that was so amazing? One word: Cheeseburger. Possibly the most delicious burger in all of China – nay, the world! Never had any of us experienced such a delightful combination of beef, cheese and bread – especially not in this country. We were surprised, satisfied, and almost in tears. And so we left Nanjing with the taste of our burgers still savory on our tongues, dreaming about it for months and months to come.

So, when Rachel and I were deciding where to take one last trip together in China, the answer was easy: Nanjing. Why? To taste the world’s best burger. Again.

But we were a little nervous… have we made the burger better than it was in our minds? What if Danny’s is closed? What if there’s a different chef? What if they don’t sell the burger? In short, was this burger really the best burger in the world? Or was it just a one-time fluke? But we conquered our doubts and risked devastating disappointment… and this is how it turned out:

Eagerly awaiting the burger

She’s arrived – but will she be delicious?!?

A little intimidated by its massive size…

Finally getting a bite…!

And yes… it was still friggin’ delicious!

Victory! The best burger in the world really is the best burger in the world!!

As you can see, our burger revival (as Rachel has dubbed it) was a grand success! And now we can truly say that Danny’s Irish Pub in the Sheraton Hotel in Nanjing, China, truly has the best burger in the world. What makes it so good? It’s hard to say – maybe the perfectly toasted bun; maybe the fresh and flavorful vegetables; maybe the crispy fried egg and juicy bacon; or maybe just the perfect seasoning, moisture and flavor of the beef patty… I could go on, people, but I don’t want you to get too jealous.

Of course, we didn’t only eat burgers in Nanjing (although we probably could have and been perfectly fine with it). We did a few touristy things too. We saw the mausoleum of Sun Yat-Sun, we went to one of the original Ming tombs, we saw parts of the ancient city wall and we even saw a Jackie Chan movie in a local theater. But even after all those things, the highlight of the trip was certainly the surprise (again) of that wonderful burger – which we ate not once, but twice on our most recent trip. And it was worth it.

The entrance to Sun Yat-Sun’s mausoleum

Chillin’ with one of the guards of XueLing’s Ming tomb

Onward!

Walking along the ancient city walls

Getting’ goofy, as usual…

After this trip, I think I can safely declare Nanjing to be my favorite city in China – it’s got delicious food, it’s easy to get around, it’s got an amazing history and the people here are more polite and friendly than anywhere else I’ve been in China. If any of you ever make it out to this country, I would definitely recommend adding Nanjing to your itinerary. And Danny’s cheeseburger, of course.

And now, I’m about to board my flight from Shanghai to New Jersey, and then finally to North Carolina. And while I’m not looking to the 20 hours of travel I’ve got ahead of me, I am looking forward to being back home! See ya soon, America!

And Zai Jian, China!