Beijing, China

Once we cleared customs and rode the train to retrieve our bags, we met "Jerry" our city guide. He had our small bus pick us up, and we were off to city center Beijing to check into our 5 star hotel, the Chang An Hotel. Jerry left us there with wake up calls set for 7:00 and instructions to meet in the lobby at 8:30.

Everyone was up well before 7 a.m. because of the time lapse on our bodies. The group met for breakfast (a wonderful combination of western and Asian foods complete with made to order omelets and soups, juices, fruits, breads, and steamed buns) and were ready to head out with Jerry for a 2 1/2 hour walk through Tiananmen Square (the Chinese translate the spelling to Tian An Men Square) and The Forbidden City. Tiananmen Square originally was the main entrance to the imperial palace in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. After Liberation, Tiananmen became the symbol of the New China. The Forbidden City is now called the Palace Museum, and is located in the center of Beijing. It is the largest palatial complex in the world. It served as the seat of imperial power during the Ming and Qing dynasties (1368 - 1911). Our walk allowed us to walk through the outer court area, the inner court, glimpse into some of the temples and walk through the imperial gardens. Our experience was enhanced with Jerry's knowledge of history and his insightful narrative. We took lots of video and pictures and had a group picture taken in front of Chairman Mao's picture. Three of us purchased the photo which was placed in a tourist book and presented to us at dinner the same evening. The 34 degree temperature was great for walking. We were picked up on the other side of the Forbidden City and taken to a buffet for lunch. This just happened to be next to a pearl factory, so we were able to have a little lesson on growing pearls. Pearls are grown at the man-made lake of the Summer Palace. We spent the next couple of hours walking through the Summer Palace, a second version of The Forbidden City. The Summer Palace is the last imperial resort built in feudal China and consists of palaces, temples, chambers and kiosks. We walked along The Covered Walkway of The Summer Place which displayed individually painted murals all along the long corridor. There is a place called Longevity Hill and a manmade lake called Kunming Lake. The Marble Boat is located on the edge of the lake. We were continually awed by the gardens, the marble boat, art, architecture, symbolism, and expanse of these places. Jerry kept us entertained with numerous stories.

We saw so much on our first day in Beijing, and it wasn't over yet. We had time to stop at the Olympic Village and walk around. We saw the Aquatic Cube building as well as The Birds Nest. It was almost overload. We had only finished one day of our tour and already had seen and done so much. Being outdoors all day with lots of walking had the group ready for dinner at a very famous Peking Duck restaurant. We at family style, the norm for the trip, and observed the chef carving the duck into 120 small pieces. After a lesson on how to eat the duck (small pancake, pieces of duck dipped in sauce topped with tiny slivers of green onion, then rolled up using the chopsticks) we enjoyed this dinner and Great Wall cabernet wine, thoroughly.

The strategy of having us out and walking all day really helped get us tired and ready for bed and an attempt to adjust to the time difference. Upon arrival at the hotel, Joe and a couple of our new friends, went out in search of a small store to pick up water, wine, and snacks. The hotel staff really questioned them on where they were going. They would have preferred to get the items for them, but they reluctantly let them go. When they returned, they asked the concierge if they had a corkscrew. They sent two young women to our room to open the The Great Wall cabernet, and then Joe took them down to our neighbor's room to do the same for them. A good soak, a glass of wine, and we were ready for The Great Wall in the morning.