Traveling in Taipei with Assistant Concertmaster Yuan-Qing Yu and her parents.

Touring with the CSO is always the highlight of each season, and having my parents with me on this trip is an added bonus. 27 hours after leaving our home in Chicago, we arrived at the Taipei Regent Hotel at midnight of January 12th. We took advantage of the following two free days to explore the city. National Palace Museum, Sun Yat-San Memorial Hall, a meal of Xiao Long Bao at Ding Tai Fung, and NingXia Night Market on the first day amounted to 8 miles of walking. The next day we visited two temples, and spent a leisure afternoon at Tamsui. There, we shopped for local delicacies while watching organized pre-election activities on the streets. However, the most memorable part of the two days was spent at the Lin An Tai historical House. Constructed in the 1780s, this beautiful house called to mind the imageries from a famous novel published in 1791--"Dream of the Red Chamber" by Cao Xueqin. And to imagine, this house was almost dismantled in 1978 as part of the Dunhua Road expansion.

Yuan-Qing and her father at the National Palace Museum.

At Ding Tai Fung, enjoying the world-famous Xiao Long Bao.

At the NingXia Night Market.

At the Lin An Tai Historical House.

At the Lin An Tai Historical House.

At the Lin An Tai Historical House.

Visiting the Temples.

Visiting the Temples.

Visiting the Temples.