Day One in Beijing... · August 31, 2007
     Today we had a very busy day.    It started with a tour of the cloisonne factory then on to the Great Wall.  The Great Wall was just incredible.  We climbed to the second tower....  It was much more intimidating than it looked !!  The steps were very uneven and quite steep at times..... What a workout !!   The weather was beautiful but the sky was hazy as you can see from the pictures.  What an awesome experience.   After the Great Wall we went to a Jade Gallery where we did a little shopping and had a great lunch.  The Ming Tombs were next where 13 of the 16 Ming Emperors are laid to rest, it was 27 meters underground and quite cold.  We then went to the Crabapple Flowers Stream Teahouse where we sampled a variety of Chinese teas, it was a very relaxing moment out of our very busy day. On the way to the teahouse, we drove by the complex where the 2008 Summer Olympics are to be held. Wait until you see the stadium called "The Birdsnest"....very different! We'll post a picture soon. The last stop was the Chinese Acrobat show.  It's amazing what they can do with  their bodies !!  We just got back to our hotel and are exhausted.  We have to go rest up now for our bicycle tour of the Forbidden City tomorrow.  Hope you like the pictures !  We'll post more tomorrow.  Only 3 days till Miss Maya joins us!  
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Cloisonne factory
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     Thanks for checking in on us !  We'll post again tomorrow.  

P.S. Melissa and Kris... we just got the phone and we'll call you with the number once we figure it out.   Mike Bean,  you were the first person we thought of when the electricity went out :)  Go Phillies!!     Matt we wish you were here, miss you !! P.S.S.  Mom Ross...Although all this excitement is going on, I think of Dad all the time. I can really feel his presence with us....We love you!