After 12 glorious and much needed hours of sleep, we woke up to another beautiful day in Beijing. We met our guide at 8:30 and headed almost 2 hours North of Beijing to see the Great Wall of China!
The girls have really been amazing at keeping up and enjoying all that we've done.
Hard to tell from this funny picture but Ebug and I are riding a cable car/ ski lift up the mountain. Again, it was very beautiful and and very peaceful as we rode up, up, up.
Stunning views!! Can you believe what a gorgeous day?! Can you believe the wall is 6,000 kilometers long?
The girls may look like we told them we are going to walk the entire thing but really they just can't open their eyes from the shining sun.
How many little girls can say they have danced along the Great Wall?
So as fun as the ride up was...the ride done was so much better!! We rode sleds down a very long aluminum slide! It was so great! Lillianna's first question at the bottom was, 'Can we do that again?'
We got back in the car and rode down a very scenic but very curvy road. (Read: girls turned green and needed to stop) October is my favorite month because it's such lovely weather and of course because of the stunning fall colors. China's fall colors are just starting to come out and the red vines and yellow trees are gorgeous. There were so many orchards along the way and then with the mountains behind them, it really did look a lot like parts of California. Just beautiful.
So then we headed to a jade carving gallery.
We learned a little about this beautiful stone and how they carve it and then looked at all the amazing sculptures, jewelry, etc. The girls each got a figurine
of their Chinese Zodiac sign- Lillianna is Year if the Rooster, Ellenie is year of the Rat, and James is year of year of the Rabbit. 
For lunch: Noodles of course. Sssssluuuuurrrrrp.
No wonder they get so much attention here. Rascals.
Next we headed to the Hutong district of Beijing and took a tour by rickshaw. We saw lovely, quaint, truly ancient neighborhoods and got to visit one family's home to see how they live. These neighborhoods are over 200 years ild and are known for their distinct architecture. Each home is small (size of hotel room) and shares a long corridor with other homes. My girls were amazed they had everything they owned and did everything in a room smaller than their bedroom at home.
I still ant get over the amount of trees in Beijing. Much more than in other larger cities in the US. Tall Weeping willows line a lot of streets and there are sycamore looking trees planted all along the highways.
So then...
We went to a China tea room and learned about their delicious tea.
We couldn't decide which was the best - the ginseng, the rose or the fruit tea.
We learned so much - like how to properly hold your tea cup, depending on your gender. And that you drink The Emperor's tea in three sips- One for happiness, good luck, and long life.
After a quick dinner (fried rice!) we surprised the girls with a trip to a show.
It was full of acrobatics, gymnasts, dancing, and motorcycles racing around that sphere. It was beautiful, thrilling, and crazy- just like Beijing!
2 comments:
Once again, I cannot believe it. You all are getting to do soo very much and it looks absolutely beautiful! I am thankful you were able to rest and I loved the idea of the ski lift and the sled - what fun... I would have been in hysterics. You all look so happy and I am just elated that everyday is going so well.Only 3 days until JAMES! There are many here interested and praying.I love you everyone. yaya
Praying for your sweet family and following your trip to learn for when we go!! Have so much fun!
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