Today was our actual first day of sightseeing so I was pretty excited! We managed to fit a huge chunk in (and go back to Wanfujing for a bit more shopping!)
We caught the subway to get to where we needed to be (and that is a blog on it's own!) We started to walk to Dashilar, a street with a lot of history! It is still maintained in it's original beauty. Old school structures similar to the hutongs here. Very touristy but still beautiful.
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| The main street in Dashilar |
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| Architecture in Dashilar Old Street |
It was here where we tried the Beijing roast duck! And for me, I have never tried it so it was a first for me. And, it was delicious! I can't compare it to anything, because I've never tasted it before, but my husband Lee said it was so much succulent compared to the roast duck in Sydney. I don't think I could eat it all the time, but it was so yum!
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| The chefs in their own area roasting the duck |
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| Getting ready to eat Peking Duck! |
We walked back through Qianmen Daije on the way to Tiananmen Square and Forbidden City. Also a touristy place, even though it was, it was still great! The architecture always gets me, it's stunning!
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| Qianmen Emperor's Avenue plaque on the ground |
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| More old Chinese architecture. Love it! |
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| The backdrop of Qianmen Avenue |
Walking to Tiananmen Square was amazing. To get in, you have to go through a security check, but you pretty much have to do that everywhere around here! When we got out of the underground, the place was huge! I can't explain it. There was so many people around and it wasn't even peak (around September-October) so imagine how packed it would be if we were there during the peak months! Let me tell you, there were so many hawkers there with people asking to take your photo, when really you could do it yourself but people actually pay for that stuff! I was kinda annoying but you get used to ignoring them.
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| Me in Tiananmen Square, which covers 440,000 square metres |
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| Right in front of Tiananmen Tower before you enter into Forbidden City |
We finally were on our way to Forbidden City, and I read that the recommended time to be in there was 3-4 hours, and when we got there, I could understand why! Let me just say that on our way entering the place, there were even more people hounding us to try to rip us off! These were Chinese people with really good English trying to sell us tickets to the Great Wall, and even to pay them to be our tour guide when we went to Forbidden City. I would say about 10 people haggled. But same thing, we ignored them. A couple of people got peeved off, but hey, we didn't want your business! Forbidden City was amazing. And that place was even bigger than Tiananmen Square! Even though most of the place was blocked off from the public, it was still an amazing place to be and see. All places that we saw today were definitely places to see!
-V
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| In front of the Hall of Supreme Harmony |
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| Some of the designs on the wall, painted yellow, which symbolises the Royal Family |
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| Hall of Central Harmony |
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| The moat surrounding Forbidden City, looking from the outside in |
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