You already saw our Wyoming picture on the Great Wall of China, but you didn't get to hear about it! We started our second day in Beijing at the Temple of Heaven, which was a temple built to worship the gods of the sky. I was in a beautiful park where we saw many elderly people relaxing and doing different activities. Many people come here to practice Tai Chi, play cards and play other traditional Chinese games.
Then we made our way to the Great Wall. We had a long drive and stopped for lunch beforehand. Once there, we took a gondola up to one of the gates, which is where we took our Wyoming picture. From there, we could hike up or down the wall as far as we wanted, and Caryn and Jen even took a luge back down to the bottom! There was a small market set up at the bottom where we could shop from street vendors as well. The Wall was incredible. It was surreal to be standing on top of something that you have seen so often in pictures and truly get a sense of just how long it really is.
Once back in the city, we went to see the Olympic Village, including the Bird's Nest stadium and the Cube where swimming and diving took place. We also stopped at a tea house where we learned about different kinds of tea and traditional tea ceremonies. Dinner was another large group meal. We stopped at the Night market on the way home where we saw things most Americans would cringe at the idea of eating (and many of us did)! Just to name a few foods for sale on a stick: snake, seahorse, grasshopper, scorpion, silkworm, starfish, and centipede! Yeah, I know, I can see your cringe too! A few people in our group ventured to try the scorpion--no Wyoming takers yet. :)