It's been a little quiet lately here on Home Rejuvenation. I traveled to Shanghai last week to visit the World Expo. The World Expo houses over one hundred pavilions from around the world boosting some very cutting-edge and extraordinary architectural design.

With a tight itinerary, it's impossible to visit all the pavilions. I tell you, once you've been in a queue here, no queue is too long for you - ever. With some queues stretching several kilometers (for eg, entry to the pavilions of Saudi Arabia and Germany) and lasting some 7 hours, it's amazing anyone can actually walk out of the whole 'ordeal' and still get into the mood to enjoy the stuff on display.


Of all the pavilions, two particularly caught my eyes. The architecture of the China National Pavilion is magnificent. The design is traditional in outlook, but it's essentially a very modern and eco-friendly architecture, as I soon found out. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to visit the pavilion itself but can only squeeze myself into the Joint Provincial Pavilion.








The
Spain Pavilion has a wicker cover over a steel structure. Spanish handcrafters weaved out different patterns by using different colors of wicker. The wicker is covered by a special water-proofed material that also keeps the pavilion at a comfortable temperature. Inside, the giant baby is a highlight and never fails to garner camera flashes from the visitors.

The 'sand dunes' of the UAE (United Arab Emirates) Pavilion did appeal to me too. And the Israeli Pavilion looked like something Frank Gehry would have done.
Sadly, the Germany Pavilion looks just like another modernist building to me.

At the Nepal Pavilion, the rich geography, culture, and religions of the Himalayan country is on show.