Beijing

China!!! After an overnight flight, we popped into the airport bathroom to brush our teeth and wash our face and then hit the ground running!  Our tour guide and driver picked us up from the airport and we immediately went sight seeing.  Coming from Abu Dhabi, it was COLD!!!!!!

 Lama Temple

 Confucius Temple

We climbed up to the top of the Drum Tower

An interesting tea tasting/demonstration

 

Our Hutong (traditional Bejing home).  While it looked great in photos, the reality wasn't so great.  To get to the bathroom, we had to walk through this courtyard, in the freezing rain.  The girls were not impressed, to put it mildly!

Our bedroom, off the courtyard

The girls' bedroom, also off the courtyard.  Olivia was literally crying wanting to stay in a hotel on our next stop :-)

Once we finally got into our Hutong, it was late and cold.  This was the only thing we could find open  in our neighborhood.  They have had McDonalds maybe one or two other times, at birthday parties.  Not surprisingly, Eliza loved it.  The rest of us, not so much, ick!

This weather was bone chilling cold, especially coming from fairly hot weather in Abu Dhabi

Beautiful gardens and river right next to Tiananmen Square

 Tiananmen Square

In Tiananmen Square, waiting to get into the Forbidden City with just a couple other people who also enjoy person space!

 Inside the Forbidden City

 Forbidden City

 I thought this was too cute

Olivia loved all of the noodle soup.  Eliza refused to eat pretty much the entire trip :)

 After lunch, we went to the beautiful Summer Palace

The start of the cherry blossoms

Summer Palace from the water

Before dinner, we went to a cool acrobat show

So midway through the show, a group of ladies and children walk up the aisle.  First they just stood right next to us, talking as if there was no one else there and no performance happening.  If that wasn't enough, they spot Eliza and her blond hair.  They then send a little boy over and are trying to take pictures of the boy and Eliza.  I shut that down speaking in a language they didn't understand, but it was quite obvious I was not having it.  Then, this one proceeds to sit on my armrest for the remainder of the show, literally on top of me.  It was definitely a different cultural experience.  I had a really really hard time biting my tongue.  

Delicious dinner

The menu was a huge book....we needed help

Peking Duck, delicious!

What a spread

Peking Duck oven

The next morning, hot chocolate

Heading up to the Great Wall in the same gondola Michelle Obama rode in

 The Great Wall of China!  Eliza was in total awe

Now heading down in the gondola Bill Clinton rode in!

Another country, another Subway!

We made a quick stop to The Temple of Heaven.  There were so many elderly people sitting here playing cards or other games 

Navigating the crazy Beijing train station to get to our bullet train to Xi'an

My super travelers

Bullet train, 306 km/hour

 Olivia and Mike both reading guide books