Hangzhou and Back

We took a spontaneous trip on Saturday to Hangzhou, about 100 miles southwest of Shanghai and a quick, cheap train ride. It's a beautiful place, set alongside the West Lake, the city's main attraction. We walked around the lake and rode a boat to one of its islets, but it was cold and rainy and perhaps not the best time of year to visit. We'll go back, though, to this charming place where hilltops replace skyscrapers. Here's my one and only photo from the 24-hour trip:  

P.S. I woke up on Saturday morning to the terrible news out of Connecticut. My heart broke, and it still aches as we learn more about what transpired the morning of December 14 at Sandy Hook Elementary School. As a nation, we've failed, we've failed our children. I hope that, finally, this tragedy, this one, will spur our nation into action -- action with regard to gun laws and action with regard to mental health care reform.

"We can't tolerate this anymore. These tragedies must end. And to end them, we must change. We will be told that the causes of such violence are complex, and that is true. No single law — no set of laws can eliminate evil from the world, or prevent every senseless act of violence in our society. But that can't be an excuse for inaction. Surely, we can do better than this." President Barack Obama, Dec. 16, 2012