The Great Wall

Our weekend continued with an early drive to the Great Wall which took around 90 minutes from our hotel. Once gain, it was a very cold and smoggy day. 

We took a gondola ride to the upper area of the wall and then were able to spend some time hiking around in that area. I discovered that the wall was much steeper than I realized;  of course it is on top of the mountains!

Our next stop was the Summer Palace in Beijing. When the weather became a bit warmer, the emperor and all of his household would move from the Forbidden City to the Summer Palace. The grounds included a large lake and beautiful landscaping. 

We had a fun time visiting a cloisonné workshop where we saw how the cloisonné was made and of course were able to buy a few pieces. We chose a bracelet and a Christmas ornament for our collection. 

We returned to Guangzhou after attending church in Beijing. It was a wonderful weekend but we don't think that we will be visiting a second time. 

Yesterday, we took a long metro ride south to Lotus Mountain with the Andersons. There was rain for part of the day but the skies cleared and we were able to enjoy some of the attractions in that area.  This is one of the pagodas at the park. 

The grounds are very beautiful and well landscaped. 

This is an ancient rock quarry with some very interesting rock formations. 

We ended the day with a delicious dinner at one of our favorite Turkish restaurants called the Bosphorous!