Friday, June 13, 2014

Friday June 13

After a lot of throwing the baseball we went out in search of some food with Wyatt...he wanted some fried rice.  We grabbed some food in a little family stall in a nearby neighborhood and made friends with the owners little boy.



We brought a little something back to the hotel for John David who was resting his very sore back.  We all went to bed pretty early last night and woke up early too...like 4am.  It was nice to sit and have our coffee and some quiet time.  The boys got up and we all went down to breakfast...the buffet is mostly traditional Chinese and pretty incredible and but has something for everyone and the boys were happy to find a huge pile of really good bacon and eggs tucked away in the corner.

We loaded up around 9am with some of the other families who have arrived to go see some sights in Beijing.  The bus ride through the city provided some  cool people watching.



Our CCAI guides Cecilia and Alice are wonderful and Alice is an incredible historian which was a nice lead up to Tian An Men Square and the Forbidden City.  The size of Tian An Men is hard to grasp until you are standing there, it's just HUGE.  In the crowd we made a little friend who was just a doll and very proud of her squeaky shoes that she wanted to show off.

The tour of the Forbidden City is nothing short of incredible.  Again the size was hard to comprehend until we were making our way through.  The history, the architecture, all of it is so much to behold.



One of the most stunning parts of the City is the Emperor's Gardens, with 500 year old trees and rock formations, the tree of luck, and the surrounding moat.







After the Forbidden City we went off to tour the Hutong area and have lunch with a local family.

More on that in the next post.





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2 comments:

  1. KeefeslcJune 14, 2014 at 7:23 AM

    David and Terri, thank you so much for sending me the link to your blog. With Ellen's choir schedule, we've been away from Newman for what seems like ages. I am so sorry I missed seeing you all in the last few weeks to share your joy and excitement. I'm in tears of joy as I read your posts, see your smiling faces in China, and await the first pictures of Xuan in your arms. Tell John David and Wyatt that I love seeing their smiling faces and how engaged and willing to experience all of China they are! Pretty special boys that Xuan will be lucky to have as older brothers guiding her through life! Ahhh, I just can't believe it's finally here and am just bursting with happiness for you all. Blessings to you as your continue your amazing journey. I look forward to seeing you all at Newman when you're home :-)
    Kristen Keefe

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  2. VKArchibaldJune 14, 2014 at 10:10 PM

    I echo Kristen's comments! We too have had a busy schedule and can't believe we missed saying goodbye. We will be glued to every blog post and cannot wait to see your new bundle of joy and love, Xuan. Looking so forward to Gotcha Day and will keep you all in our prayers. Love, The Archibalds

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