Day 4 July - Beijing Last Day

We will be feeling a little sad to leave Beijing especially after another wonderful day. There is just so much culture and history here. We started off the day with a visit to Tiananmin Square which is just huge. There were thousands and thousands of people. From there we entered the Forbidden City which takes about 45 minutes just to walk through the sequential walls to the royal palace. Each building has a full set of meanings and purposes. The Forbidden City is set on the meridian with north being the most royal, east, west, and south all having specific meanings. In addition, the number 9 means long lasting and good luck and is iconic everywhere. The right side is for female statues and the left for male. We saw the emperor's offices, home, and official harmony buildings. So much history through the dynasties.

Next, we went to an old city section built around well water with small alleyways called Huatong (based on Mongolian ancestry). We rode on a rickshaw through this maze of old houses which includes some true Chinese culture and lifestyles.

We visited and had tea with a local family in one of the small houses with a courtyard. Her family had lived in that house for over 150 years. We then went to the pearl and merchandise market. Shopping for the girls was really fun and hard bargaining was required to get a good price.

Finally, we had Peking Duck (a must have in Beijing) for dinner which was very tasty.

Feeling a little nervous and excited for tomorrow. We are up at 4:30am to catch the flight. Tomorrow we meet little Amie for the first time!