The Forbidden City is a wonderful place. The architecture and detail is amazing and overwhelming. They are currently renovating the buildings and the effort is huge. Ike said that the distance from the beginning of Tien An Men Square (which is the "courtyard") of the city to the other end is two miles!!! He explained how the city is symmetrical with all of the main buildings lying on the center line. He also explained the significance of the many bridges and access points to the buildings. The office buildings are on the north end of the city and the residential area is on the sound end. In the residential area, there are beautiful 100-300 yr old trees and gardens. The pictures will not do it justice as it is still winter here.
We then went to lunch at the Friendship Store and enjoyed some authentic Chinese cuisine. We had sweet and sour chicken, beef with onions and peppers and broccoli and cauliflower. After that, we went to the Great Wall. This area is overwhelming even as you drive up to it. The mountains just appear out of nowhere. There are no foothills or gently rolling hills as you approach. One moment you are on the plains and the next you are in the mountains. Shari and I only ventured a short way up, but Chris was determined to make it to the top. Well, he succeeded!!! The majority of the pictures from the Great Wall were taken by him while Shari and I strolled around the level area.
We then returned to the hotel and ventured up and down the street a short way. This was very interesting excursion off the beaten path. We got to experience a very small taste of Beijing life. We had dinner in the hotel and are now ready for bed. It has been a long and wonderful day.
For more pictures, check out the Flikr badge on the right...
No comments:
Post a Comment