Forbidden City

Sore feet after today... We left our hotel mid-morning and attempted to avoid the lines to get into Tiananmen Square by taking the metro. Our plan was foiled however as we were directed away from Tiananmen Square... Bugger. We opted to give it a miss in the end as we'd seen it the other day when we were at the museum and headed for the Forbidden City.

Vela and Nathan had visited 8 years ago, but this time was a very different experience. The crowds have increased significantly, and the contrast was even more obvious when we went back to look at old photos. Being there in the middle of the day the sun was beating down on us too, with very few places to hide. We also tried the audio guides, but the English versions were lacking in information and didn't seem to always work which was a little bit disappointing...

That being said, it was still an awesome experience. Particularly impressive was the Hall of Supreme Harmony - notable with its 11 dragon children adorning the eaves, the only building to have so many and marking it as the most significant building.

We also checked out the Palace's which were reserved for the Emperor's mother - the main large empress dowager palace as well as the smaller building where she would actually reside. We made our way through multiple courtyards and past smaller pavilions, halls and bridges until we reached the royal gardens. We remembered the royal gardens being a peaceful place where you could sit and relax in a shaded area, however this was not the case on this visit with it being very noisy and crowded.

Hot and tired after two and a half hours walking through the Forbidden City, we exited and found a restaurant open for lunch. Inside was cool and comfortable and we relaxed for an hour or so. Diane claims she was "just resting" but we know she was having a snooze.

We then headed back out into the heat and up to a hill overlooking the Forbidden City. This hill is actually man made from when the moat was dug around the Forbidden City. It gave a great view and put into perspective the massive scale of the palatial complex.

To wind down, we went for a walk around the northern lakes of central Beijing. There was a lovely breeze blowing over the water. We then met up with Luffy to recount the day over a delicious Beijing grilled dinner.Les mer