Beijing, China
Polluted Big City, Lots of Sightseeing and Fun
21.05.2011 - 24.05.2011
20 °C
In Beijing I stayed at a beautiful hotel that had a big aquarium in the lobby and lots of flowers. It was a nice treat in the end of my trip. After checking in, I went to the modern district to have lunch with a friend of mine from New York. My friend was so nice, he took me to a fancy restaurant for lunch to have Peking Duck. 
Modern Architecture in Beijing
After that I went to see the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square. The Forbidden City is used to be the Imperial Palace for hundreds of years and it was forbidden for any common people to enter.
Forbidden City
It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was huge. I met an American boy while I was exploring the Forbidden City and I ended up hanging out with him for the next three days. He was a fun guy. After that I walked across Tiananmen Square. It was almost 5 kms long. I actually did not walk all the way to the end. I was too tired
Tiananmen Square
Next day I went to see the Summer Palace. The Summer Palace was about an hour away by subway. It is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. There was a huge lake in the middle and there were different palaces and buildings around it. I spent half a day walking around these buildings. I also took a boat ride on the river.
Summer Palace
After the Summer Palace I visited the Beihai Park. It was a humungous park. It was pretty but windy.
Beihai Park
While walking towards the park I realized that Beijing was actually an ugly town. It is huge, polluted industrial town. It wasn’t a very exciting place at all. On my last day in Beijing and on my last day on this vacation I hiked the Great Wall. It was a wonderful experience. We hiked for about 3 hours. It was a pretty easy hike.
The Great Wall
At night I went out with my new American friend to get dinner and some drinks. Next day I took the plane back to Europe.
It was an incredible trip. A life time experience and I am so glad I was able to do it. Thanks for all, who followed me.
Posted by barbaracsk 01.06.2011 01:54 Archived in China
Thank you for all the pictures, stories that make me want to go, too! Congratulations for pulling off this adventure, some of it didn't look easy, you're tough. What's next?
Daniel
01.06.2011 by donci