Sightseeing in Beijing

Tuesday was our first day to tour some of the local sights.  I was so excited for Abby and Claire to see these places, as they are so significant in their Chinese history and culture. I wish that the weather had been a bit more tolerable....freezing does not even begin to describe how cold we were!!

We started at Tiananmen Square.  Taking pictures required me to take my hands out of my warm gloves, so we only took a few! 

Next stop was the Forbidden City.   It served at the home of Chinese emperors and their households for over 500 years. We visited the Forbidden City when we were here in 2013, but we did not really participate in an official tour.   This time, we were lucky to have our guide with us....we were able to learn so many interesting facts about the history of this place!

When we FINALLY got back to the warm bus, we headed to a local noodle shop for lunch.  Chopsticks and noodles are always a fun combination for us Americans!   Claire did just fine!

The last thing on our tour ititenary today was a Hutong Tour.   Hutong is a name given to a small street.   In the past, the city of Beijing was composed of clusters of houses consisting of four or five rooms enclosing a square courtyard. Hutong refers to the streets that wind around these houses.   These appeared early in the Yuan Dynasty. 

To visit these houses and hutongs, you ride in a rickshaw.   This was so much fun!  

The streets and houses were beautiful!

As part of the tour, we were allowed to visit someone's home. It consisted of seven or eight rooms surrounding this courtyard.   The rooms were not connected to each other, only accessed through the courtyard.  

When we finished the Hutong Tour, we headed back to the hotel to warm up!   The kids played in the room and we all relaxed the rest of the evening.   I am sure everyone will sleep well tonight!!