This day started in a good way... because from a tip i got from my a man I met yesterday... If your going to enter the expo on the side where the nations pavillions are use gate no. 8 the one closest to the americas area... And arrive at around 9:30... if you do that, it will only take you 10 mins to enter the expo site, instead of an hour or even sometimes an hour and a half...

So after the quick entrance, i lined up for germany's pavillion... It only took 45 mins instead of 2 hrs if you go later on the day... anyways it is well worth it... I think the german pavillion is the best one amongst the nations pavillions... Architecturally the circulation is interesting because it uses its horizontal and vertical circulation very well. Then the interior volumes are masked with this gray perforated tarp.. So from far away its looks like this some-metal-skinned-truncated building but once you get up close, it looks more manly-delicate (iono if this makes sense) because you can see the structure and whats behind the skin... Then the interior is well planned aswell, the flow of the people is well defined and the narrative is clear plus the stuff inside of the pavillion is cool.... Well except for the last part... the bilingual act about ''Balancity'' that had a somewhat cheesy disney-esque feel... Well its not my thing but it did entertained the rest of the crowd, so i guess it did its job...

I also went to finland and luxembourg which are both equally cool and informative... Then i went to the ignored site... Puxi side... I believe thats the name...where i spent the rest of the day... This side was nice and less crowded... Ofcourse there are still some lines on some of the pavillions like the coca-cola because you get a free coke in the end... Or any pavillion with a 3d movie inside of it... But i think the best part of this expo is the cities best practice pavillion... they are placed in the north east side of the expo grounds... i liked the London's and Madrid's case joint pavillions... They were well designed and showcased their city really well while still staying with the overall theme of the expo... But especially liked Portugal's case joint pavillion which is this pod tower house... Its this 3-story 8 ft x 8 ft home that i think is well-planned, designed and crafted... The details in this tiny house are cool and well-thought out... I could just imagine how hard it is to design so much program (1 bedroom, 1.5 bath, eat-in kitchen, live/work area and balcony) in such little space...

So to sum up the expo...

Expo is a success, it was well planned and organized... The nations pavillions were nice and interesting in the sense of the ways they take on the expo theme. And selfishly speaking of course, I'm glad that the Puxi side of the expo is ignored by most people... Because I think it very difficult to enjoy this part of the expo if you are constantly shoved to move on to the next part...

So tips... If your going...
Best entrance: gate no. 08 (in the nations pavillion side) and its a quick entrance in general on the puxi side.
Best advice: be patient (because it certainly tested mine).... people will blatantly cut-in-line... Not cool and China pavillion ive heard sometimes take up to 4hrs...
Must go: Case-joint pavillions, Germany, Chile, Luxembourg...
Dont forget: to enjoy the city and the places around it... Most people get so into the expo that they forget to explore shanghai... I also suggest taking the train to Suzhou or Huangzhou... They are really close and affordable...