This post is long overdue! As most of you know, we (Andy and Lindsey) had the chance of going to Beijing with Courtney in October. We left Shanghai Thursday night by sleeper train and arrived in Beijing Friday morning. The sleeper train was a wonderful experience! It was very smooth and we all slept well. Beijing's weather was very cold in comparison to Shanghai!
After settling in at hotel we walked over to the Forbidden City. It was an awesome experience! It is so much bigger than what we had expected! In ancient times, only the emperor and his advisors and servants were permitted in the Forbidden City and (we were told) the emperor did not leave the Forbidden City. It was an incredible maze of hallways and buildings like the Hall of Mental Cultivation (Andy could have used to spend more time there) and the Palace of Prolonging Happiness (who wouldn't want to hang out there?). To think of the history that took place there is pretty remarkable.
After that we walked across the street to Tian An Men Square (similar to the Mall in Washington DC as it is the center of China's government) and then took a short cab ride to the site of the 2008 Olympics. Very cool to see in person what we watched for so many hours 2 years ago; the Water Cube where Michael Phelps won 8 golds, the Bird's Nest where Usain Bolt broke 2 individual world records...but the most welcome site for us was the McDonald's. We were very hungry and pretty cold. 'Nough said.
Friday afternoon we visited the Museum of Natural History in an effort to stay warm and dry. About 5:00 p.m. we left to go back to the hotel. Ever try to find a cab in Beijing on a cold, rainy, Friday afternoon during rush hour? It was definitely an answer to prayer that we made it to the Acrobats show at 7:15. Amazing show if you ever get a chance.
Saturday was completely filled with a tour of the Great Wall (amazing), Tombs of the emperors of the Ming Dynasty, a tour of a Jade museum, delicious lunch, foot massage (for everyone on the tour except Lindsey and Courtney..."not healthy for young people" (what?!?)), a visit to the Silk Museum, and a tea tasting. It was packed and it was really worth it.
Woke up Sunday to nasty weather and visited the silk market which is actually a shopper's paradise. Courtney was able to further hone her negotiating skills buying souvenirs for her family. Caught a cab to the Beijing International Church Fellowship for a really cool time experiencing God and then headed to the airport to meet up with Courtney's Uncle David Addington who was passing through Beijing a few hours before our departure. Very cool of God to arrange that meeting.
Arrived back in Shanghai about 8:30 exhausted from an amazing weekend and happy to be back with the family.
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