So it got a little dicey uploading/catching up with blogging after we arrived in Shanghai. The internet was dicey at best, and honestly I was just having so much fun I didn't want to take time out to blog :) Since I've caught up on uploading pics to the Picasa site, I'm now updating the blog, so enjoy!
Today was AMAZING. There's really no other way to describe it, since I truly never thought I'd see the Great Wall with my own eyes, and yet I spent the better part of this morning hiking around on it.
We started out at 8:30 loading the bus and heading out to the wall. On the way, we passed by the Bird's Nest and the Water Cube from the Beijing 2008 Olympics. The architecture is very impressive; it's odd to see something as modern as those two buildings adjacent to thousands year old architecture. We plan on heading out there on Thursday since Jerry has a free day.
We made it to the wall after about an hour, and it's an incredible sight. It's also largely straight up. The ancient Chinese apparently did not believe in switchbacks which makes climbing the wall quite a task. You can tell which side is "inside" the territory and which is outside quite easily - the side of the wall that is higher faces the outside. A large portion of the wall has been subsequently rebuilt in the last 100 years or so, but you still get a great sense of the history that you are experiencing while at the Wall. We spent about two hours out at the wall, which probably wasn't enough time. It takes so long to get up to the top (or, at least what we deemed the top). I do have to say that this trip so far has really inspired me to want to learn more about Chinese history and culture. It is so very different from what we as Americans have encountered, and it's so fascinating to me. Perhaps I'll have some free time to read about China while Jerry's in Portugal next year :)
After the Wall, we headed back to the hotel. We probably should have gotten some lunch, but we didn't have time - it was on to the Forbidden City. This was a short walk from our hotel, which was nice. The Forbidden City is officially known as the Palace Museum, and was homebase for the imperial court and dignitaries until the 20s. It was opened to the public in 1949. It was completed in 1420. That's hard to comprehend since America wasn't even America at that point in time. The US really is a baby in the grand scheme of things! We wandered around in the Forbidden City for well over an hour, just taking it in and snapping pictures.
After the Forbidden City we wandered through Tian'an Men Square. I was 13 when the whole Tian'an Men Square Massacre occured, so that's what I mostly associate this place with. We were told by Jerry's tour guide that about a thousand Chinese citizens can be seen at dawn each day as the PRC flag is raised at dawn. Had dawn not been at about 5am, I probably would have gone to see that myself :) Mao's mausoleum is also located here, but it's not open on Mondays so we couldn't go in. On other days his body is brought out of the tomb for viewing.
After Tian'an Men Square, we headed over to Qian Men. This was known as the most imposing of the 9 city gates to Beijing back in the day. This has been renovated into a shopping area (China = consumerism I've learned). We had so much fun wandering around this area. I even found a place where I could get a cashmere coat tailor made for me! I may go back tomorrow to get measured for it while Jerry's in class!
After such a full day we headed back to the hotel, had dinner, and hit the sack!
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