Again, this was a busy day, and there was a lot of information to take in, and there was just so much it is really hard to remember it all.
Our guide told us her English name is Veronica. Her Chinese name is Quen Yue. She said she was born in Beijing and has lived here for 30 years....but darned if I can believe she is at least 30 years old, she seems so much younger... and she's such an energetic dynamo! (And also very sweet and organized!)
Our adoption agency has a large enough group traveling now that for these tours we were split into three groups - each led by a guide: Veronica, Michael, and Grace. Veronica led our group. Here we are across the street from Tiananmen square for a group photo.
As we walked through Tiananmen square, we passed the tomb of Chairman Mao Tse Tung. I'm actually a bit surprised we didn't go into it and see him inside his crystal tomb. I actually thought that might be a bit interesting, although I suppose it would be a bit disrespectful if we had gone in and taken pictures of him! :)
After Tiananmen Square, we went to the Forbidden City...which was the home of the imperial family, as well as the place where the emperor or empress met with officials, foreign dignitaries, etc. All of the parts of the city had specific names, but I couldn't take it all in. By this point my feet were sore, and we hadnt even stopped for lunch!
We had a chinese style lunch at a friendship store, where we were encouraged to shop for gifts...although Veronica did warn us that in-China flights strictly limit weight of checked in bags, so it would be best not to buy heavy or bulky things. I did get one or two small, lightweight things..... because I couldn't resist...but I didnt go crazy... I plan on doing the bulk of my shopping in Jiangsu and Guangzhou.
After lunch, we got back in the bus to ride to the attraction many of us wanted to see most of all - the Great Wall. It was very hazy and even rained a bit....and a lot of the scenery was covered in mist and fog. And the wall was....absolutely breathtaking, astounding, awe-inspiring. See for yourself:
Mom and I really wanted to climb to that tower you see at the top of the hill...but there were many, many steps...and they were uneven in size and it was quite steep. We didn't make it all the way to that tower, but I'd say we made it at least two-thirds of the way there. On the way up, we saw a long chain with many locks hanging from it. Some couples get married at the wall itself, and many will place a lock (engraved with their names) - on the chain, in the hopes that their marriage will be as long as the Great Wall.
And for our colleagues at Carroll County Public library and Prince George's County Memorial Library system (as well as BCPL)... here is Sneaks the cat at the Great Wall in China.
And here mom and I are...yes, wearing our 2008 summer reading T shirts!
Finally, for your general amusement, I present this sign - actually posted on one of the tower areas along the Great Wall.
Tommorrow our various groups fly out from Beijing to our childrens' provinces. There we will receive our child, register the adoption, and do some more touring in the province. Another family (the Heller's) and mom and I will also be visiting our daughter's orphanage while in their province.
6 comments:
I love the summer reading t-shirts!
You have got to be so antsy, waiting to get your hands on Georgia! You're so, so close now...only a little longer of a wait.
What a wonderful trip. Thanks for sharing!
I think it's so great that you get to tour with other families who are also adopting children. :O)) That must be a relief to you all, to be with others going through the same thing.
Wow ... all those STEPS at The Great Wall (*reverb* *reverb* *reverb*) ... O__o It would be fantastic exercise I bet! :O))
I used to live in PG county. :O)) I'm in Montgomery county now. :O))
I wish I were there touring too!
Wow, I didn’t realize they’d have so many folks coming all at once for adoptions like that. Kinda nice though to tour with people who are going through the same things you did.
It’s so cool that you’re getting to see all of these places. I mean, the Forbidden City! Way neat. :-D
That’s something I hope to see in person some day in my lifetime, the Great Wall. What an amazing feat of engineering and perseverance! Neat tradition, with the locks.
*chuckle* Interesting warning sign. :-) Woo! You’re getting SO CLOSE now! *cheers*
hi booboo you look so happy in that pic
ps : look at my pic
I think it's great that you're learning all of this Chinese history and culture so you can pass it on to Georgia so she knows where she came from. What an awesome experience. And the locks at the Great Wall, I wonder how that started.
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