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dome of very Russian origins.
Lunch was had in a small restaurant on the road back out of town towards Dalian, in a building next to the one in which the Russians surrendered to the Japanese on 1 January 1905. A sign board records the events of that time, noting that after the Russian defeat the people of Lushun were "pressed by the Japanese invaders." From what we could see, they are still very smartly turned out, with neat creases down their trousers. Next to us at lunch was a tale of rather elderly and venerable Japanese. We were wondering whether or not they had “been there before," but we were too polite to ask.
A very productive morning, but it then struck us that there was nothing left to do in the afternoon. We turned down the guides' suggestion that we visit a carving factory. One of our number, who is famous for it, suggested that we visit a textile factory - but this too was voted against. Instead we asked if we could find some Dalian United football jerseys to take home as souvenirs. Believe it or not, the many sporting goods shops that surround the main stadium in Dalian could not between them come up with one jersey of the local heroes' team. England? Yes. Watford? Plenty. Juventus? Loads. Dalian? “Sorry - we don't get much call for them."
After this disappointment we rather all went our separate ways. A few of us opted for a return visit to Nanshan to take photographs of the beautiful houses there as the sun was going down.
Dinner that night was a very pleasant western-style buffet in the Dalian Shangri-La, followed by a beer or two in the hotel's FATS Bar. I never did find out what "FATS" stands for, but the place was very popular with the local lads and a number of "working girls.”
And then, suddenly, it was all over. The weeks of planning, and the months before that. The reading and researching, the writing and the wondering. Was it all worth it? Certainly! Would I do it again? Er
Did I learn anything from the experience? Yes - a number of things. I learned (again, for I have been on RAS trips before) that trips with members of this society are always fascinating experiences, attracting, as they do, people who have their own personal mines of information