Beijing - Day 5

Another day that started with a trip on the underground. The underground is fab here. It costs 2 Yuan to  make any journey, there are clear signs everywhere both in Chinese and English, once you are on the train a simple map with lights shows you are and stations are announced again in both English and Chinese.

The Temple of Heaven.

Is it time for another ice cream yet?

The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests. The Temple of Heaven complex was used by the Emperor for ceremonies in the spring and autumn that ensured good harvests.

A photo shoot was happening as we wandered around.

Argh! The dragon ate my finger!!!

The Imperial Vault of Heaven.

The Circular Mound Altar.

The Seven Star Stones.

Beijing - Day 3

With another day free we arranged a trip to the Great Wall and gathered on the hotel steps to wait for the taxis.

We took a cable car up to the top of the wall.

The slide we would come back down.

It was another hot day with the haze making the hill disappear.

Propeller conquer the Great Wall!

I had assumed that the wall would be flat and just like following a road over a series of hills. Some sections are flat but most of it is covered in steps. The steps aren't nice and even, some sections are thigh achingly steep and others are shallow with an odd deeper step ready to catch you out.

Taking a breather.

Negotiating a steep section.

Personal space!

No where escapes graffiti it seems.

A nice level set of steps!

After a hot day out in the countryside we went to Molly Malones bar in one of the swanky hotels.

The plan had been to have 1 drink but once we smelt the food we quickly decided to have a taste of home for tea. Chicken sandwich and chips anyone?