Day of Touring

Last night both Joe and I slept little due to having to adjust to the time change. I must of woken up about 5 times and Joe about the same. At 6:30 am we headed to breakfast. Not bad. They had some interesting foods, but for the most part it was a pretty normal American breakfast. We met in the lobby of the hotel at 8:30 am and departed for Tian An Men Square. Tian An Men Square is just one large open space with lots of concrete, it was sort of impressive to see this large area, with a couple of buildings. I guess the buildings surrounding the square were for banquets and large gatherings. In addition, there is one building that the body of Chairman Mao is laid to rest. From Tian An Men Square we walked to the Forbidden City. The Forbidden City is where the Emperors of China would live, conduct business, and host parties. The Forbidden City is an absolutely fascinating area of buildings and gardens, which was constructed in 1409. From the Forbidden City we headed to lunch. Lunch consisted of dumplings, sweet and sour pork, rice, and other yummy Chinese food. After lunch we drove to the Great Wall. The Great Wall is very impressive and words to do not it justice. It is absolutely amazing to think that this was built by man. Needless to say, I did not venture the climb but I did manage to go a couple of steps. There was no way was I going to attempt that as I probably would of blown out my knee. Joe on the other hand managed to climb to the top. Impressive.