Beijing Trip

This past Monday I headed to Beijing with my Uncle Bernie and Cousin Mark - Spring Break '07! Mandy went to Taiwan to collect the rest of her things and to visit some friends from last year - she met us on Tuesday. We stayed at a hotel about a ten minute walk from Tienanmen Square - it was tucked in a little back alley. A great location because it seemed more real than your typical hotel. We had a blast and got to see a lot of the city. We made it to: Tienanmen Square, The Forbidden City, The Beijing Zoo, The Summer Palace, The Ming Tombs, and the Great Wall. It was an action-packed trip and went by really quickly. Here are some of the hundreds of pictures that we took - enjoy!

We went to Tienanmen Square on our first day, which turned out to be a mistake - half of the country had the same plans. We still managed to get some pretty good pictures of this historic spot. It's incredible how spacious the square is - I remember seeing video of the military rallies that they used to have there.

These are from our trip to The Forbidden City and the Summer Palace. The Forbidden City is just off of Tienanmen Square and was where the emperors lived and governed. The main palace was under construction, so we didn't get a chance to see it. A lot of things in the city are under construction in order to get ready for the 2008 Olympic Games.

Before The Great Wall, we went to the Ming Tombs. These are where the emperors of The Ming Dynasty are buried. All of the temples and tombs are arranged carefully to follow the laws of feng shui. A lot of the temples were destroyed in war and during the Cultural Revolution during Mao's regime. This was one of the better preserved tombs.

We chose the more challenging climb at The Great Wall. It was a hot, sunny day which made the climbing even more difficult. The stairs were extremely steep - it seemed like a vertical climb at times. I did my best to keep up with the former cross-country runner, but did a poor job of it. Luckily she was patient with me and waited for me to catch up. We were at the Badaling section of the wall - it's the most preserved section.

Sonic Youth

Last night I went to the Sonic Youth show at the Shanghai Concert Hall - an excellent show! The inside of the venue reminded me a lot of the Orpheum Theater in Minneapolis, only a bit smaller. I've included some video of the show - enjoy!

That's Jeff Boldt (elementary school) and Brian Bates (high school).

The Latest

On Saturday morning I was awoken by what sounded like a gunfight. It was a wedding celebration. They light firecrackers to ward off evil spirits. It lasted about 5 minutes and was right outside of our bedroom window. I was too late to catch the bride getting into the car - she looked great.




Friday night Mandy and I went to Malone's - a Western style restaurant. It was like being at an outdoor cafe in America.