Today began with a return visit to the Pearl Market in Beijing, always a tricky place with everyone tugging at your sleeve wanting you to buy something (anything!). Meg, Carol, Peter and Jill made another purchase and escaped with their wallets and lives intact.We then headed to the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympic site, a return visit for Meg and I since we had not seen the Bird's Nest so close in 2008. Now you can wander the immediate grounds around the stadium and Water Cube where the swimming and diving events were held. It is a a beautiful setting and worth the return visit.
The final stop of the day was the Summer Palace where the emperors went during the warmer summer months to get away from the Forbidden City. Everything was bleak and the lake was frozen when we were there in 2008; today, however, it was beautiful with the green trees in full bloom and boats dotting the lake. We all walked the full length of the painted, covered bridge that remains a beautiful expanse of work overlooking the lake. The crowds were HUGE but we got thru the whole park and returned to clean up for the dinner.
Jingyi, Billy and Jingyi's Mother joined us in the hotel at a famous Beijing Hot Pot restaurant. tThe closest comparison would be a fondue dinner. We each had our own pot for the lamb, vegetables and other goodies put into the boiling water. It was the best dinner of the trip, not only for ther food but also the conversation and inter action with Jingyi's Mom. The evening ended with many going for a walk in the local neighborhood of the hotel, seeing the stores and building nearby. There is an amzing mall nearby with the Beijing Grand Hyatt hotel and luxury shops like the Mall of America.
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