The day after the Forbidden City, we took the 1.5-2 hour drive to the Mutianyu Great Wall. There are sections of the Great Wall that are closer to Beijing, but this section is much less crowded, and, according to those we talked to, one of the prettiest sections reasonably close to Beijing. It was an AWESOME DAY.
We made it!
The scenery was BEAUTIFUL.
Check out the GREAT WALL!!!!!!!!!!
From the Great Wall looking at the mountains
Check us out taking the cable car up (essentially, the ski lift, sans skiing)
This post is mainly just about the pictures - this one, it's the Great Wall . . . !
Did I mention that the leaves where changing? SO PRETTY!
View from one of the watch towers. Nope, no Mongolian invaders today . . .
Far from crowded, there was still a good bit of fellow Great-Wallers. One lady, a grandmother, was climbing on her 77th Birthday as a present from her children to help fulfill one of her lifelong dreams. Her whole family was with her, and she made a serious dent on making it to the highest watchtower! (many do not make the full hike).
Pictures were really just good excuses to stop climbing the seriously steep stairs :-)
This is us in one of the many forts/watch towers... one of ten thousand to be exact. Back in the day, 60 soldiers would be stationed in each tower (so that's 600,000 soldiers guarding the Great Wall). Pretty amazing.
James really liked taking pictures out of the windows of the various towers!
Check out how steep these stairs were! Intense.
Gotta love those views from the top! They really are breathtaking.
On the other side of the highest tower - no tourist beyond this point!
Opps!
Where the wall is not "tended" for sightseeing, its condition has suffered tremendously. James snapped a few shots of the unkept wall. It's such a shame and I hope China starts restoring these portions of the wall.
No railing, looking over the side. Eek!
You know, a sad but very true fact: The Great wall is the longest cemetery in the world. Building it was very dangerous and most workers who perished while working on the Great Wall were just buried in it.
Another fact: The Great Wall can be seen from outer space!
I wasn't happy about that no-railing shot.
But I was happy to be breathing clean, mountain air.
Easily one of the best experiences of our lives. Oh, and when I went to the bathroom for two seconds, James had gotten me this Panda hat . . . classy. Now I totally blend in with the locals.
Eas
The Bird's nest on the way back to our hotel
Beijing traffic! CRAZY
Easily one of the best days WE'VE EVER HAD! The Great Wall was truly as amazing as I dreamed it would be - a definite must for anyone who hasn't seen it.
Um.... please do not get arrested for going places that are off limits (great wall!). I am really not prepared to go on the Today Show to explain why these 2 smart American lawyers are in a foreign prison!! I don't think a caining in Thailand would feel really good....
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