What A Day!

We started touring fairly early this morning, and packed so much into the day.  First, we went to a jade market.  It was intriguing to see the craftsman carving the jade.  The items were so beautiful and we made several purchases there.  I didn't realize that jade came in several different colors other than green.  The ship in the picture is made entirely of jade.  We couldn't quite afford it and didn't know how to pack it, but Trevor thought it was very cool.

Next we went to the Great Wall.  They don't call it a great wall for nothing!  I'm not sure any of us will be able to get out of bed tomorrow morning.  There were two paths from the main entrance.  We chose the less crowded path, but it was also steeper than the other path.  Trevor would run ahead and then run back to us.  He seems to have an abundance of energy.  We, on the other hand, were a little out of breath and struggled with some of the inclined areas.  There were stairs and also just steep hills to climb.  The pathway is smooth and the steps are uneven, so you have to be careful of your footing.  When we reached one of the towers, I looked out across the mountains at the beauty.  At that moment, I thought "How can these people behold such beauty and not believe in the One who created it?" It was absolutely breathtaking!  After we made the trek back to the entrance, we enjoyed another delicious lunch.  

We went to a cloisonne factory next and made some purchases.  This is such a tedious form of artwork.  The artisan must be very patient as they create the different items by gluing wire onto a copper base and then painting the copper in between the wires.  The item is then heated and polished and is so nice once completed.   

 

Last we went to Summer Palace, which surrounds a huge man-made lake.  It is amazing that the emperors and empresses would only spend the summer in this palace and yet it is bigger than the Forbidden City.  It is hard to capture the enormity of it in pictures.  China has such a rich and long history.  I have thoroughly enjoyed our time touring in Beijing.  The adorable girl in the picture with Trevor is our guide, Jolin.  She has been such a wonderful guide.  She keeps up with Trevor and Noah and gives them a lot of attention.  She is very informative and has become like one of the family.  

Tomorrow we will go to the Temple of Heaven and then head for the airport.  We fly to Katie's province tomorrow night and then will meet her on Sunday morning!