Around the World in 128 Days - Beijing - Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City and Temple of Heaven
Travel Day 69 - March 12, 2024 - 14,265 Steps
The ship was docked at Tianjin for our visits to the inland city Beijing and it is a very long bus ride between the two places which meant two very long consecutive days.
This post is mostly photos and videos, meaning there are over 100 images but how does one do a blog post to give readers the sense of these fantastic places otherwise.
The ship is docked at Tianjin and as we headed toward Beijing we say thousands of shipping containers.
We were simply waved through the police checkpoint today.
They use this type of entrance covering instead of doors to the restroom areas.
Best listening device ever. Very light weight at is the complete unit which fits over the ear.
The only remaining gate to the walled city.
Entering Tiananmen Square
Great Hall of the People
Mao's tomb
They are always watching you
The Great hall is the largest structure of its kind in the world. It is really huge.
Changing of the guard.
One can't take a photo to show the size of the square.
The opening under Mao's image begins the long walk through a series of gates that lead to the Forbidden City.
It took 45 minutes of a constantly moving line from this point until we were in the Forbidden City.
I couldn't help but think of the late Dennis Wiens and his evangelistic zeal at promoting the iPad to take photos when I saw this.
The future of China.
Linda was intrigued with the 500 year old brick surface of this courtyard.
It was a tiring day for everyone.
One of the many areas where the Emperor's concubines were housed.
Bed of a concubine
These huge pots are found throughout the Palace grounds and were filled with water to fight any fires that might break out.
Red protection around the trees means they are more than 500 years old.
East meets West and they are different yet alike.
Linda emerges from the Forbidden City. The Palace complex has over 8000 rooms and we saw only a tiny fraction of the entire grounds.
Sitting in a front row seat on the upper deck of a shuttle bus we see a typical Western tourist.
It's a wolf's hide that lines the tour bus driver's seat.
The Temple of Heaven had just been repainted as China was reopening after the pandemic shutdown.
The original structure burned to the ground in 1818 and was totally built of wood.
You can't go inside, but one could imagine the Emperor worshiping here century's ago.
That's me in the blue hat just to the left of the opening waiting for someone to leave so I could take a photo of the interior.
There was a professional photographer and his assistants posing this couple and taking photos of them.
The hats identify a Chinese tour group.
Yellow hat group here.
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