Our Beijing Adventure

Since we arrived a day early, we had today free to do whatever we wanted. One other family came over early as well, so we all spent the day sight seeing. We started our adventure with a cab ride, and I am not exaggerating when I say adventure. The driving over here is crazy. No one yields, there is not such thing as right of way, they just come on over. Oh, and turn signals are some crazy thing that are put on the cars because the Americans seem to want them. And don't think that they will stop for pedestrians or bikes because they won't. There is a lot of honking, which seems to be what they use instead of signals or to warn pedestrians that they better get out of the way. After almost being sideswiped by a bus, Brian did point out that his driving should no longer scare me after this trip.

The Summer Palace was the first stop. It was built in 1750 during the Manchu Qing Dynasty as a summer get away for the emperor. It is beautiful and huge. We started climbing the stairs to the palace, and it just kept going higher and higher. We did make it to the top, where there was a great view of the city below. We were trying to imagine what the view looked like 350 years ago, before you could see the big McDonald's sign in the background. The gardens were immense, and beside being beautiful, the landscaping was also very functional. There were a lot of big trees planted near rock walls and boulders that created cool, shady spots to take a quick rest, as well as pavilions positioned to catch the cooling breezes. And today was hot enough to show just how well thought out the design truly was. One thing that really struck me is the intricate carvings and detail that went into building the palace. The architects and craftsmen who helped build this palace were truly amazing. I think you almost need to spend at least a full day here, if not more. Unfortunately, we only had half a day, so I am sure there were a few things that we missed.

Our next destination was The Temple to Heaven. It was built in 1420, during the Ming Dynasty, to offer a sacrifice to heaven. It wasn't quite as large as the Summer Palace, but it was still pretty immense, and of course, it had beautiful gardens. We went to into the temple area, which actually consisted of about 4 buildings, in addition to the temple itself. We could really only walk into one of the buildings, which housed artifacts from the various dynasties that used the temple. We were able to climb up to the temple, and the stairs contained sections of carved stone. We couldn't actually go into the temple, but you could look inside of it. Like the summer palace, it contained intricate carvings and painted details. The Temple was surrounded by a beautiful garden which had several walking paths. We were able to do a little strolling through the garden, but we were running out of time so we didn't get to do see it all. I think it's a bit like the Summer Palace where it's just too big to get through in less than a day.

I think one of the more interesting things about today is how the Chinese react to us. Some will stare at you, and it's funny because they are not discrete about it. It's kind of funny. They are also not shy about asking if they can take a photo with you. There were a few times at the Summer Palace where we were asked to take a picture with some of the Chinese children or teens. However, once we got to The Temple of Heaven, you would have thought we were celebrities. We were walking towards the Temple, and one man asked if he could take our picture with his son. Then another man wanted a photo, and before you know it, the five of us were surrounded by about 15 or 20 people with 4 or 5 people taking our pictures. There were also a few teen boys that wanted to get pictures of Melissa and I. We also found a group of girls who all wanted pictures with us, so each of them handed their cameras to Brian to shoot the photos for them. I told Melissa they must have thought she was Kate Gosselin and wanted to get their picture taken with someone famous. After we got our photos with each of them, they did get pictures with Brian and Brian, as well as Jacob, Melissa's son. He was the funniest because he is 10 and a little shy, and you have all of these cute Chinese girls, probably high school or college age, putting their arm around him to pose for pictures. The poor thing was a little embarrassed, but Brian did tell him that he will LOVE that photo someday.

Brian has headed out to the Electronics Market to see if he can snag a deal on a tripod, but I decided to stay behind. Even though I did get a lot of sleep last night, I am starting to feel a little tired, and I know that I don't have the energy to spend the amount of time Brian will probably need at the electronic market. Not to mention that this is a good opportunity for me to update the blog and share our adventure. I'm very glad that we came a day early as we got to see a bit more. We will be heading to the Great Wall tomorrow, so I am sure that I will have a little more to share then.