Beijing

Back in March, we had our first visitor that wasn't stopping in because of work related purposes!  Dad arrived for a busy 2 week visit:)  We were all excited to see him.  He arrived on a Wednesday and on that following Friday we were flying to Beijing to begin an eleven day tour.  It was the first time for all of us to be in Beijing except Jason.  He had been there earlier in the year.

On our first day, we began at Tiananmen Square.  It was a chilly day but nice.  We actually saw blue sky because of the wind.

The square is huge.  There were lots of people and quite a bit of military.  In the following picture, we have the "Forbidden City" entrance behind us.  I should also mention that it was Lily's first time to join us on a family vacation.

Standing with one of the many Lion Guards

I don't think you can get the feel of exactly how big it is until you actually visit it yourself!  It is the biggest palace complex in the world.

Jason captured a nice picture of my dad and I.  I think I resemble him quite a bit!

Late morning, we rode on a rickshaw around the Hutong Area.  It was so cold that Jason did some bargaining for a few pairs of winter gloves.

Jason and Katelyn.  There were rickshaws lined up around the block.

They took us to a small house.  I think they have been remodeled for the sole purpose of making tourists think that they are actually eating in an authentic Chinese home.

Our table was covered with food dishes in about 10 minutes.  I have to say it was one of my favorite meals while on the trip.



The Cook



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After lunch, we headed to the Summer Palace.  The statues are always just as interesting as the buildings.  

The Qilin - mythical creature of stag, lion, dragon.

The Summer Palace sits on a big lake.  I believe those are guard towers up on the hill.

Lucas, who hates to have his picture taken, was always being asked by someone.  Jason was able to finally capture how happy they get:)  I should mention that they don't always ask.  All of a sudden you notice that someone is standing close to you and you see someone in the distance snapping a quick picture.  It is quite funny sometimes.

We were walking fast around the palace.  We could have taken a boat ride.  The air coming off the lake was quite chilly.  We opted to walk fast to try to keep warm.  Lily was able to fall asleep. 

The artwork/painting in this covered walkway was beautiful.  I think if it was a warmer day, it would have been nice to really look at the pictures.

A Marble boat that has never set sail - I think that is what the tour guide said????

We all had a good day and were ready to head back to the hotel.