The Beijing train station was certainly less chaotic than Xi'An. We had a relatively smooth ride as most of us got some sleep. Our first challenge was to get into town and it did not start out well. No information counter, no maps (except of course in Mandarin), no reasonable signs that we could decipher. The buses to take us to the main station where we thought we could grab a cheap taxi has been discontinued. Of course, there were lots of extortionist drivers willing to take us for lots of money. We walked and walked and decided just to barter with a van driver and we ended up getting a reasonable deal. The driver was not happy but we learned over the coming few days in Beijing that this is how all people react after you have negotiated with them...some even cry for the theatrics to try and make you feel bad -this is a show only!
Day One was about recovery. We were staying in a rather swank two-bedroom hotel with a pool - a reward for making it this far!! We bought groceries, went for a swim and watched a movie. We planned the next few days and made it an early night.
Our first day of exploring was "close to home". We found our way to our local subway station and ventured into the heart of the city. (By the way, the Beijing Subway system is incredible!!).
We explored the Forbidden City. The Forbidden City was the Chinese imperial palace from the Ming Dynasty (starting in the 14th century)to the end of the Qing Dynasty (ending in 1912). It is located in the middle of the city and is now referred to as the Palace Museum. Built from 1406 to 1420, the complex consists of 980 surviving buildings. It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Sitein 1987.
It was a tad overwhelming for everyone on little sleep. It was a warm day and this created a few minor (OK, major) meltdowns BUT we preserved and made it. It is really something - absolutely huge, well preserved wooden buildings with remnants of a bygone imperial era. There were beautiful gardens. We followed a tour using an automated audio guide (that worked some times...) but this helped us with the history, architecture and other important stories.
We walked back down one of the outer walls and moats to then enter Tiananmen Square. This was a bit of an emotional walk given the 1989 massacres (or the "incident" as it is referred to in China). I remember being on Queen's campus during that time and holding a candlelight vigil in support of the students. It is a vast area surrounded by communist inspired buildings, Mao's tomb (like all good communist leaders....). It was very cool to be there after all that has taken place there.
Our final walk back to the subway and the hotel for a well deserved rest was via the new National Centre for the Performing Arts. The "egg" as it is known is (I think) one of the most fantastic pieces of modern architecture - it is bold, imaginative...I could not get enough of it. All cities of the world need some fantastic buildings like this one. See for yourself....
So much more to see and do in Beijing!
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