Just a quick note to say that I’m back from Beijing and have posted some photos of places and random things. (And of people, on Facebook.)
It was a great trip–wonderful family, interesting city, good food, and lots of fun sightseeing. I walked my feet off. (Shoes that are perfectly comfortable for wearing to work aren’t necessarily all right for walking 24 hours a day, oddly enough. Good thing I brought my running shoes.)
I will make an actual post about the trip later (i.e. if my sleep schedule ever normalizes), explaining some of those photos. But here’s the Cliff Notes version of the trip that I kept so I wouldn’t forget where I took which photos:
Sat – left
Sun – arrived. Dinner.
Mon – Purple Bamboo Garden. Lunch at a Muslim restaurant. Swam, strolled around malls. Dinner – Peking duck.
Tues – Old Summer Palace. Lunch at pizza buffet. Olympic plaza.
Wed – Free morning, went shopping – fruit (dragonfruit, and snake skin fruit looks like a pangolin). Forbidden City. Dinner – hot pot.
Thurs – Ming emperor tombs. Great Wall has so many stairs.
Fri – Silk Market. Tailored dress, skirt. Misc other things. Annoying bargaining. Dinner for Ellen’s birthday included pigeons.
Sat – Temple of Heaven. Vow renewal – part of a traditional ceremony at a palace belonging to the second son of a Qing (?) emperor
Sun – Fitting for dress and skirt. More Silk Market. Dinner at the duck restaurant again.
Mon – Zoo and aquarium. Dinner at Schezuan place (taro-covered spare ribs).
Tues – Art museum, Lama temple, picked up dress and skirt. Dinner at mall food court (where someone was making fresh noodles)
Wed – Hiked at gorge, lounged around at hot springs, late snack at congee place.
Thurs – left.