On Sunday morning the sun was shining when we left the
hotel and made our way into the coach. We headed to Tiannamen Square.
The students were surprised to learn that the square was so big it could
hold up to 1 million people. We walked across the square to get a feel
of it's size and took some group pictures.
Next we visited the Forbidden City to walk through the grounds of the
Emperor's home and also the offices where he carried out daily work and
business. The sun was beating down as we wandered among the splendid
buildings. It became so hot at one point that we retreated to the shade
for ice cream.
Next we were treated to another huge lunch of mouth watering, authentic Chinese food and then we walked back to our coach.
On the way to the Summer Palace we stopped off at a traditional tea
house and were treated to a Chinese tea ceremony. We all tried various
teas and learned about the medicinal benefits of each one. Following the
ceremony we all raided the gift shop, no doubt there will be delicious
Chinese tea coming back to Scotland as gifts.
The Summer Palace was as beautiful as expected and more, built along the
water, boasting a marble boat and a long, painted promenade. The
students witnessed many people wearing traditional dress and took the
opportunity to take lots of pics. The folk music playing in the
background and the beautiful sunshine only added to what can only be
described as the genuine Chinese cultural experience.
Dinner again was as before - copious amounts of delicious Chinese food,
too much in fact! We will need to start climbing the wall daily in order
to burn off the extra calories if we keep eating like this! I am so
pleased that all the students are enjoying the food and getting plenty
to eat, even those who are vegetarian.
Tonight we will be taking the Hogwarts express to Xi'an. This will be an
adventure, rattling and winding our way through the Chinese countryside
for 11 hours.
Next stop Xi'an, see you soon!
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