A friend invited me to dinner. Due to ongoing preventive measures, restaurants are still closed, so we met at her home, in the nearby Minhang district, about 7 kilometers away from my home. I gladly accepted the invitation, not only because she is a great friend of mine and great company, but also because I have not seen her for more than 3 months, ever since the complete closure of Shanghai. She is a great cook and host. She loves to eat and cook seafood. So do I, unlike cooking. The evening passed quickly and even before I realized, it was almost 5am. More than 10 hours of socializing passed like a breeze. It was time for me to go home and get some sleep. I rode the city bike and drove through the empty streets towards home. The streets were so quiet. It seemed as if time had stopped for a while. Only street sweepers and… morning cyclists with professional bikes could be seen on the road, whistling past, taking advantage of the traffic-free road and testing speed limits. I was surprised at how many there were. Before I got home, I managed to see at least eight of them.
I kind of forgot how beautiful the mornings are. It was exactly full moon day. The sky was crystal clear. The moon, though it was already dawn, was visible as on the palm of my hand and was slowly fading. Through the morning mist, a bright orange color began to appear on the horizon, announcing a beautiful sunset. Another unique work of Mother Nature. Wonderful. In the distance, eyes could see the silhouettes of distant buildings. It was simply perfect. My head was turning in all directions, trying not to miss any of the scenes my eyes were projecting. I’m not much of a photographer, but I still wanted to capture a moment of this beautiful early morning. At the big intersection of Yanan, Gubei and Hongqiao roads, I got off my bike and took one shot to memorize the moment.
In Shanghai (China), on 16th of June 2022