The Great Wall

We were up and on the tour bus early this morning…a very long day, but definitely a great one.  The sun was out with a nice breeze…the perfect day for sight-seeing.

We started out by stopping at a jade factory.  It was fascinating to see how they carved the pieces so intricately.  We learned a lot about the meaning behind the different types of jade and the different things the jade is carved into.  There were so many beautiful jade pieces to look at in the gallery.  My mom and I both got beautiful bangles…and we also picked out something special for Thea to have for when she is older.

Our next stop was The Great Wall.  Wow!…so absolutely amazing to see this ‘wonder of the world’ in real life.  The stairs were so much steeper than they look in the pictures …it was quite the hike up.  Mataeus did so well, and loved being at the top of one of the lookout towers imagining himself protecting China.  Thea enjoyed being in the carrier watching everything from her cozy spot…although, by the time we got back to the bus, both her and I were drenched from the heat.  By this time it was already past her usual naptime …so we were doing our best to keep her occupied.

The group went straight to lunch at a great Chinese restaurant on the way back to the hotel.  The food was really good, and Thea did so well considering it was so late in the day.  While the other babies in our group seem to have many little cat naps throughout the day, our Thea is used to being in her crib for one long nap and has a hard time falling asleep when we are out and about.  After lunch the group looked around in the market by the restaurant…we were especially impressed by the intricate Chinese paper cutting that we saw.  Incredibly beautiful pictures created with just a tiny pair of scissors …a small picture taking a full day to create.  Finally our little princess drifted off while all cozy in her carrier…managed to get back on the bus and she napped on our way back to the hotel.

Mataeus was thrilled to discover that the tooth fairy does come to China…she left him 50 yuan!!  Guess she was feeling generous since he had traveled so far to lose his first tooth. J  He was excited to buy himself something, and treated himself to french fries and a vanilla milkshake…you should have seen the proud look on his face, and he refused to let us help him carry them. J

The kids were both asleep by 7 tonight…totally zonked.  We have another early start tomorrow with a half day tour to the Summer Palace and a pearl factory.  Us ‘big kids’ better get some rest now too!