February 26 - Beijing

When I signed up for this tour I knew it was going to be a long day. The drive from the port in Tianjin to Beijing is 3 hours. Our tour group gathered at 7:30 am but didn’t get off the ship until 8:30 due to gangway issues.

The first stop was Tiananen Square. Unlike some tours that spent 2 days in Beijing, our tour was listed as “A Glimpse of The Great Wall and Beijing”. And a “glimpse” it was! The best photo I have is attached. We did not actually get to walk in the Square, but, since it is 34 acres(!), I didn’t mind too much. The history around the building of this Square in very interesting. You can look it up if you are interested. We saw the Great Hall of the People, Chairman Mao Zedong Memorial Hall and the National Museum.

Next stop was a “glimpse” of the National Stadium built for the Summer Olympics in 2008. (Now they are preparing for the 2020 Winter Olympics!) We also saw the National swimming Centre, the ‘Water Cube’, where the swimming and diving events took place.

After an authentic Chinese-style luncheon (not unlike the dinner I had in Shanghai) we went to the Great Wall. I was so looking forward to this and was not disappointed. We were told it could be cloudy (meaning the wall would not be visible at a distance) and it could be snowing (making the steps more treacherous). Thanks to many prayers, neither were present. It WAS cold but we all came prepared. I’m attaching a picture of the steps leading to wall. That was the scariest part of the day. Steps are uneven and steep without the assistance of a railing. Add wind to the mix and I assure you I took great caution on the climb up and back.

The coffee shops in the area did a brisk business!!!