Bucket List

Ever since I was a kid who fell profoundly in love with books I have imagined what it would be like to visit certain landmarks. I have been incredibly fortunate to be able to visit several of what I'll call my "Top 5," which includes places such as Notre Dame in Paris and the Colosseum and the Sistine Chapel in Rome. One that has eluded me, until today, is the Great Wall of China. 

I woke up a bit grumpy at just after 3am this morning. The problem is that there isn't much you can really DO for two or more hours in the dark while the rest of your family slumbers. My saving graces have been my iPod nano (books on tape) and my iPad (ebooks and social media). The upside of 3am in China is that all your friends at home are wide awake and I was able to chime in on a chat with Carol and Xiomara at about 4:30 about Madeline's first pair of pointe shoes! So excited for her! The little glimpses into life at home make us feel like halfway around the world isn't quite so far.

Even the rest of my family manages to roll it out pretty early and we had breakfast at about 6:15 again. Amusing solely because that IS a normal breakfast time for the girls and me but T - not so much. 

Our fabulous bus and driver appeared as if by magic again - this time at 8am to take us out of Beijing and to the northwest. Because it's China, first we stopped at a jade market, which included the perfunctory history lesson and the mandatory sales pitch. Fortunately for us, we were actually in the market for jade. My original jade bracelet, purchased 14 years ago, broke about two years ago (demonstrating its poor quality). Meanwhile, the higher quality bracelets we bought for the girls in China in 2005 were stolen from our house a few years ago. Yes, we were definitely in the market. T helped me pick out a new bangle, all the while the salesgirl kept telling me "you have a good husband," to which I kept replying, "yes, I know!" We let Spring Flower and Flying Sparrow make their own choices and they each selected a jade pendant and jade earrings. They are both proudly wearing their earrings and it makes the Chinese part of my heart very happy!

Next stop, Great Wall!

According to TripAdvisor, our guides picked a great spot for our climb - not crowded, not too far away, and great views. They delivered! It was virtually deserted today. We had The Great Wall of China to ourselves! : )

We were told repeatedly that there was an "easy side" and a "hard side." Those of who know me - would you care to guess which side I chose? Okay, so I kind of assumed that they meant that the "hard side" was named by spoiled Americans who get no exercise. Boy was I wrong. The hard side was HARD! Here is what I will call Phase 2:

 

This was after an already "heart-rate raising" climb. Of course we pressed on. Note the building at the top - it plays a role in Phase 3.

 

Welcome to Phase 3! We are now standing next to the building that was visible from Phase 2. This seemed like the perfect time to pay homage to our fearless leader of Herndon, VA, Madame Merkel. So I donned my 

Merkel Mayor 2016 shirt and got this photo. I think she is pleased with my efforts to support her candidacy. 

More about Phase 3 - see the building I am pointing to? The insanely high one? That was our final destination. Flying Sparrow was having some panic attacks about the heights - the steps are insanely steep and uneven - so T decided to stay behind with her while I forged ahead with Spring Flower and two of the other girls with our group. I won't lie - I wanted to die at several points during the ridiculously steep climb. I had to sit on the steps at least 10 times to catch my breath. But guess what my friends: I did it! Out of 26 people in our group only 3 girls and 2 adults made it to the top and Spring Flower and I were among them and here is the photo to prove it, which I think only goes to prove the point that it's true what they say about ballerinas and OCD people: they can both make it to the top of The Great Wall!

 

To be honest, I was a bit concerned about the descent since the railing (oh, how I loved the railing!) seemed too low to offer much help on the way down. Regardless, and despite ridiculously shaking legs, we managed to get back down in less than half the time it took us to get to the top. Time for selfies!

 

On the way back to our hotel we got a look at some of the trademark 2008 Olympic venues including the Bird's Next, the Olympic Village, and the Water Cube. We just had time to shower off half the dirt of The Great Wall before jumping back onto the bus for a very impressive acrobatics show. The girls LOVED it. 

Tomorrow morning it's Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City before most of the families head off to Xi'an, while we fly to Fuzhou in anticipation of Spring Flower's orphanage visit on Thursday. It's our last night in Beijing and I still cannot believe I'm even here in the first place!