Come to Beijing with us!

*FYI- this is a photo heavy post*

Are your bags packed?  Are you ready for another quick but amazing adventure? You won't want to miss this one.  Seriously.  You HAVE to come with us!!!

 

Why????

 

We're going to cross off something off our Life-time Bucket List- we're heading to

The Great Wall of China

(via a stop in Beijing).  

Hey, did I hear you say The Great Wall isn't on your Bucket List???  Well, why not???  As you'll see on our journey there that it is pretty spectucular!

 

Meet us at our house on Friday after work.  Not to worry- there isn't a rush (not this time anyway!).  Our driver will leave when we're all ready and drop us off at our hotel in Beijing.  It's about a two-hour drive into the heart of Beijing.  Fortunately, our driver is pretty savy and pulls a few manoveurs to get through the congested traffic bits of the drive (no, I don't want to watch what he does!).

 

We'll be staying at the Hilton on Wangfujing in Beijing.

Checked in?  Like I've said before, if you have more than one child be prepared to haggle for a bit to get one room for your family (unless, of course, you want another room).  

You know what?  It's after 9pm and we haven't anything to eat for dinner.  Do you want to join us for a quick dinner at one of the restaurants in the hotel?  Yes, it is more expensive than going out but that also means we don't have to venture out in the dark which we're not quite ready to do (yet).

 

 Egads!  Check out those very blue lips!!!!  Annika just had to try a macaron cookie from the dessert buffet.  

 Whoa!  Look at that cool chandelier!  It's made of wine glasses!!!

 Welcome to our Home Away from Home!  Come in and make yourself comfy.  I'm sure we can find you a pillow and a blanket.  

 

Did you sleep well?  Sure hope so!!!  Better go eat some breakfast….and then meet us downstairs in the hotel lobby.  We've arranged a car to take us to the wall.  Yes, there are cheaper ways to get to the wall but this was easy to arrange and we don't have to worry how to get back because our driver will wait for us and take us back to the hotel after we're through exploring.  FYI- we're heading to a part of the wall called Mutianyu.  It's about a good one-and-a-half hour drive from Beijing (so you'd better get comfy riding in the car!).

 

Getting out of Beijing sure took a long time!!!  But now it looks like we are actually out in the country.  

 Sheep?!?  They have those here too???  (well, why wouldn't they?)  HEY!  Those look like mountains in the background, don't they? 

 We'll be passing by lots and lots of orchards.  Hmmm….I wonder if we came back here next fall if we can get fresh fruit???  I think there were peach, cherry and plum trees.  mmmmmmm!!!!!  Can anybody tell me why there are things hanging on the branches of the fruit trees?  Are they trying to weigh down the branches?

 Blue skies!!!!  It's been a while since we've seen that!  Hey, is that the Wall I see?????

 Yipppeeee!!!!  We're almost there now!  Our driver (that's the fellow in front of you) is kindly showing us where to buy tickets for the cable car ride up to the top.  Plus, we have to buy admission tickets for the Great Wall in addition to the cable car admission. Confused???  Me too. Don't worry- the lady selling the tickets has got it under control!  :-)

 Now that we have our tickets let's head up to the cable car entrance.  That means walking through this small outdoor market.  

 Oh, and we HAVE to stop and admire the kitties sunning themselves in front of a sign.  Thanks to the movie, "Puss in Boots" the two little blonde girls in our party have become enamored with cats. No, WE ARE NOT TAKING HOME A CAT!!!

 Ooooo!!!  

 Okay, enough talk.  I'm ready to get on the cable car and head to the top!!!!! You're coming with us, right????

 

Get ready, set, and jump in one of the cable car pods….

 

and then get ready for a short ride up the mountain!!!

 

 

 Going up!

 Heading up the mountain into the Big Blue Sky.  With cedar and oak trees (and other tree species we don't know) down below us.

Going higher and higher!!!! 

WOW WOW WOW WOW!!!! 

 Time to jump out the cable car pod….and watch it slowly make its way back down the mountain.

 WE'RE HERE WE'RE HERE WE'RE HERE WE'RE HERE!!!!!!!!!!!

Can you believe it????  After all the talking and planning and wondering what it would be like we are ACTUALLY HERE!!!!!

WOW!  Amazing!! Awesome!!! 

 

 

 Uh….let's watch these stilt dancers for a while, okay?

 Eeep!  That looks hard!!!  (He's hopping up and down on one foot while on the stilts)  Sir, please don't crater and crash!

 Let's just go for a walk on the Wall and explore it for a bit, okay?

 How about a photo from inside one of those towers?

 

 

 Oh, yeah!!!!  Mountains!!!!  Okay, you guys can go back to Beijing but you can just leave me here, okay?  I am LOVING these mountains!

 And some more mountains!!!!  

 There's another look at that cable car we rode up in to the top.

 

 Huh.  Is that an old cannon or what????

 

 Oh, YEAH!  Me likey very much!!!

 Are you getting hungry???  Did you remember to pack a snack???  Well, we're hungry and I DID forget to pack a snack (whoops).  Thank goodness for the handful of vendors that are scattered along this section of the wall.  For only 20 RMB (roughly $4) you too can buy and enjoy these Oreo cookies.  And no, they don't taste exactly like the Oreos back home but they're not too different. How do you like to eat your Oreos???  (or do you even like Oreos?)

I sure hope you brought a hat.  It's kind of nippy up here.

 Ooof!!!  Some parts of this are steep!!!

 

 Oh, hey!  I'll give you three options for getting back down the parking lot: 1) walk down on the trails, 2) ride the cable car and 3) ride the tobbogan slide all the way to the bottom.  We'll choose the first option but you're more than welcome to try the tobbogan ride!  You'll need to head down to that building there with the red-roof covered stairs.  

I don't think we're quite ready to head back down yet.

 

 Those are some cool looking gargoyles!  I bet they're there to protect those buildings, don't you think?

 

Not only are the stairs steep and irregular at times they're also slanted in some places.   

 Okay, NOW we're ready to head back down the mountain.    Yeah, we picked the slowest possible way to get back down.  How are you going to get back down???  If you choose the tobbogan ride I want to hear how it went!

 Where are we???  I swear we could be in Colorado or Utah…. Look at those pine trees!!!!!  (Am I the only one that gets excited to see lovely-looking vegetation????)

 Hey, do you need a break?  Let's sit down at one of the numerous "table" and "chairs" that we're passing by.  Smell that wonderful, FRESH mountain air!!!!

 Yep…. we're definitely happy campers here!  I hope  you are too!

 

 So, this IS where You are.  Wherever that is?!?

 

Listen, we're not quite ready to head back to Beijing.  We kind of want to walk around this little market and get a snack to eat.  Okay?  I think we saw a vendor selling pancakes made to order….Let's go check that out! 

 

 

 

Pancakes with chocolate??? Yes please!!!!!!  Three of the four of us opted for chocolate with banana pancakes.  The odd one out chose chocolate with dried strawberries (mmmmmmmm!!!!!!!). 

 

 Let's watch her make the pancake.  Hmm….this kind of reminds me more of a crepe than a pancake.

 

 

Now she's melting chunks of chocolate on the pancake.

 

 

 Dang!  Did you see how fast she sliced that banana on to the pancake?  That was super fast!!!  I'm amazed that she still has all her fingers considering how sharp her tool looks.

 

 Just FYI:

 Oh yeah, did I tell you about the fish purses I bought for the girls at the market?  I haven't had that much experience haggling over prices.  I saw these cute fish bags I asked the lady how much she wanted for one and she said 40RMB. I told her that I'd give her 20 for one and she shook her head.  So, off I walked.  Later, she chased me down and sold them to me for the 20 RMB I'd offered!  (I bought two of them).  Hmmmm….could I have gotten them for even less???  

Naturally Ava chose the purple one!

 MmmmmmmmMMMMmmmmm!!!! Those pancakes ARE GOOOOOOD!!!!

 Ready to head back to Beijing??? No????? Me neither!  Oh well…..we'd better head back anyway. It's been fun! We'll definitely be back!!!  (we just have to try that tobbogan ride!!!!)

 

How about a nap on the long ride home???  

Let's break for dinner and meet up afterwards.  Sound good?  There's a place we want to take you to….

 

Have you ever heard of

Wangfujing Street Night Market????  

No??  Maybe???  (I just got a glimpse of it on the MSN homepage a few days ago. Did you see it?)

 

Words utterly fail to describe this market!!!!  The vendors here are selling food….or perhaps "food" might be a better way of putting it.  It's definitely debatable whether or not some of the items for sale are actually edible.  

 

 It's gotta be good if it comes cooked on a stick, right?????  How about some sheep testicles?  Or a snake?  Or squid?

 Centipedes! Spiders! Snakes! Water Beetles! EWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!   I dare you to try something!!!  Me?  Umm….I think I'll take a pass but I will cheer YOU on!!!  Or wait, let's just cheer on those teen boys over there trying to eat a snake.  Sound better to you?  Me too!!!

Wangfujing Night Market from Astrid Breutzman on Vimeo.

  

 

They also sell "normal" stuff like fruit on a stick but that's kind of boring, don't you think? 

 I can't even guess how you'd eat a starfish….or a sea urchin????  Sounds like a recipe for disaster!  Or a trip to Urgent Care (or our local SOS Clinic).

 

 

Ok enough staring at the "unusual" food items.  Let's take a walk.  I'm just loving those lights on the trees. Hey…it's getting late so let's head back to the hotel.

 BUT….let's stop here at the Haagen Dazs restaurant first!!!  Who's up for some ice cream?????  Me! Me! Me!!!!

Oh wow! They have an actual ice cream MENU!!! 

At least some of us are happy about eating ice cream!  I know, we have a tough life! 

 

How about a swim in the pool before bed???  That pool sure looks inviting, doesn't it???  I just wish the pool was just a TAD bit warmer.  Just a little warmer would be good.  

Good night!!!  See you in the morning!!!! 

Yay for breakfast!!!!  We'd better start our day right with our bellies full of good food.  We've got some more adventuring to do today!!! Ava gives our breakfast one thumb up.  

 But before we do any adventuring let's head back to the pool….some little girls desperately want to jump back into that (nearly) warm water!

 

 So, where are we taking you this morning?  

How about a FAST tour of the Forbidden City???  

Sound good?  

Let's take this little street trolley to the entrance of the complex.  

 

 

Are you still with us???  I sure hope so!  That line to buy tickets was pretty darn long but thankfully it went quickly.  Did you pick up one of the maps?  Not to worry, we did.  We opted out of a guided tour but you're more than welcome to go on one.  Maybe next time we should go on a guided tour because we honestly had NO IDEA what we were looking at.  

 

 Here are some buildings….and sculptures.  Oh….I have read one thing regarding the sculptures of the lions.  Usually they come in a pair (there is another one but you can't see it in this photo).  The female lion has a cub under her paw and the male lion has a ball under his paw.  Why?  I don't have a clue!

 And some more buildings….lots of building actually.

 

The Forbidden City Panoramic View from Astrid Breutzman on Vimeo.

 

 And more sculptures and more buildings. (like I said, perhaps a tour guide would be helpful!  LOL!!!)

 Huh….wow….there are a LOT of other people here!

 So what's in the giant cauldron???

 

 

More having our photos taken with complete strangers.   

Yeah….so…here's the deal.  If you want to take a photo of us we're gonna take one of you, okay?  So…here are some random Asian ladies.

I think we prefer the Inner Court….they have gardens and trees here!

OOooo!!!!  Look at the ceiling inside this building!!!!

Ummm….not sure what the deal is here but I can tell  you that they're tossing money into that pit or pond or whatever that is.

And more photo taking. With a different set of complete random strangers.

Look at the trees!  And….have you noticed how most of the Chinese don't just have black hair …they also wear black jackets and dark colored pants?  

Okay, if you take a left through that door you'll be out of the museum.  Yep, that was the fast FAST tour. And maybe NEXT time we'll know more about what we're actually seeing.   

I'm hungry, how about you?  I think we'll pick up some of these over-done, cooked corn-on-the-cobs.  

Huhhh….the corn isn't quite what we'd expected…..but we had to try.

Let's head back to the hotel now, okay?  On the way we might bump into very interesting characters….Like this person.  She was very angry and grumpy (perhaps with good reason considering her unfortunate situation).  She may or may not have yelled at us (us being all those that were strolling on the sidewalk).  She may or may not have tried hitting us with one of her crutches.  

 Here's a look at the Forbidden City from the outside.  The wall and the moat would make it darn near impossible for intruders to get in, don't you think? (there is a moat, trust me.  The photo doesn't show it)

Awwwww…..a couple having their wedding photos taken!!!!  Apparently, a couple will do the wedding photos BEFORE their wedding- it might be several months or even longer before they actually have their wedding. 

Yes, Ava and Mark get LOTS of stares from passer-bys!  Hey, fella!  Watch where you're going!!! 

 Check out the cool doors on this random building.  I like the dragons!

 

Is your tummy growling too???  It's definitely lunch time!  Let's just pick out one of the many small, Chinese restaurants around here.  This one had a menu with photos- you point to a few things you want and we'll pick out some other things.  Sound good? How are you at eating with chopsticks???  Don't worry.  It takes lots of practice and patience!  Annika has finally gotten the hang of using them.  

MmmmmmmmmMMmmmmm……the Chinese dishes we picked out hit the spot!  Yum!

 

 

So what's with the bird cages hanging from a wire along the street???  Anybody else find that peculiar??? 

 

Caged Birds in Beijing from Astrid Breutzman on Vimeo.

   You know, I think we saw lots of these jar filled with a yogurt drink.  Want to buy one??  Maybe next time.  Now we really do have to hurry back to the hotel to check out! We most definitely don't want to be charged for an extra night considering that the cost of staying at that hotel costs an arm and a leg per night (so staying there for two nights means we have no arms or legs!  Just kidding!!!)

 

 Oooo….but I just can't walk past this lady weaving!  That looks hard!!!!  Dang.  Wish we had more time to explore her shop and watch her work. Come on!!!!  We have to hurry!

 

Whew!  We made it!!!  Did you manage to get your bags packed and checked out of your room??  We can just leave our luggage at the concierges's desk and they'll watch it for us while we go on one last outing before our driver picks us up tonight. 

How about Super Duper Ultra Fast trip to the Beijing Blue Zoo????  

Can you guess what the Blue Zoo is???

If you guessed that it is an aquarium you guessed correctly!  (better give yourself a pat on the back!)

 

 

 Oooooooo!!!  Ahhhhhhh!!!!  Look at the jellyfish!!! (this display has the jellyfish swimming around and around and the colors change- here it is purply-blue)

 Hey!  We know what those are!  Those are sea turtles!!!  We saw them all over Hawaii last year (was that really one year ago that we did our amazing Hawaii trip???  Sigh. Time flies!)

Here's the thing about the Blue Zoo that sets it apart from any of the other aquariums that we've been to- you stand on a conveyor belt (like the kind suitcases get to ride around on in the airports) and it moves you through this glass tunnel.   

 Fun and easy!

Here's a better look at the tunnel we're going through.  We're surrounded by all sorts of fish, eels, sharks, sea turtles and other critters. 

Eeekkkk!!!!  There's a shark!  Just check out the set of teeth on that critter!  Now there's a fella I wouldn't want to mess with!   

Well, that was fast.  I wasn't kidding when I said it was going to be a fast tour, right?  Hey…why don't you help us grab a taxi. Thanks!! We'll meet you back at the hotel, okay?  Then we'll all pile into our car and let our driver take us back home.  

 

I don't know about you but I think I might do some napping on the drive back home!!!  It was a long, full weekend!  I'm so glad you could join us for our first trip to Beijing!!!!  Thanks for coming! Let's do this again!

 

*Were you able to view all the photos in this post?  I know I crammed a ton of photos into one post.*