But Fun Things Happened In Beijing, Too!

The few days we allotted for Beijing were compressed even more by being sick, so my scant waking hours there read like a tourist's greatest hits:

Forbidden City: not so forbidden anymore, just pay this admission fee and join the masses who stroll the expansive grounds and gawk at the architectural remains of 500 years of Qing and Ming dynasties. The imperial palaces and outbuildings encircle wide plazas in the center, while the sides of the grounds are cloistered, narrow passageways.

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Hutongs: In English, hutong is an alleys or side streets, and in Beijing there are neighborhoods of hutongs that take on personalities all their own. We spent a fun night strolling a hutong near Beihei Lake that had oddball shops, lots of cafes, and... lots of cats. A total win.

The Great Wall: and it is pretty great! It's not one contiguous wall, but many sections of wall that stretch across a wide expanse of northeast China. Some sections are precisely rebuilt and easy to access, others are untouched "wild wall" that intrepid hikers seek out. We hit up a section that is something in between - a huge tourist base draws multitudes there, but the wall itself was satisfyingly crumbly and deteriorating.

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[Beijing: September 21-25, 2017]