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I had a Sunday breakfast date with my friend Deanna at the
NEW Dunkin Donuts that opened up over the winter break
at Yonganli by the Silk Street Market. There is no better
place for some girl time, than over coffee and Dunkin Donuts
(which were still China-style donuts, but surprisingly tasty!) |
Beyond the pollution, the cold, long winters in Beijing, the spitting and squatting, the language barrier, and anything else you may want to throw in with the list of complaints about The Chinese Way, BAR NONE, the most difficult and challenging part of living abroad is when bad things happen back at home,
and you are not there for it.
It is a crippling grief to lose a significant friend or family member when you are so far from home.
How well I know.
Now my friend, Deanna, is in the same boat, as she unexpectedly lost her father over CNY. I am so happy for her that she was able to fly home to New York before CNY, to spend some much needed time with him when his health became critical. I am sad for her, that she was not able to be with him when his time on this Earth came. I am sad for her, too, that she was not with her friends and family 'back home' in the early days that followed his passing. There is safety and comfort in numbers, particularly in grief, and it is so difficult to navigate all of the memories and emotions, the good and the bad, without the company of your close friends and family members around you, who are all in the same boat as you.
I SO GET IT.
Losing Mom unexpectedly this past September, and finding my way through the messiness of grief and recovery has damn near taken me down, seriously down, on multiple occasions.
I wanted to Deanna to know, in as best as I am able, I understand.
And here, have another donut. :)
While Deanna has the good fortune of having her husband and son with her here in Beijing, I was surprised when I started naming off places to go and things to do for the afternoon, to which she responded with, "I haven't been there yet. No, we haven't done that either." My response was "Guuuuuuurrrrrrlllll, it is time for you to be a tourist in your own hometown- Starting today!"
So we did.
Fortified with donuts, coffee, and full water bottles, we first headed toward Tiananmen Square and Forbidden City. As we popped up from the subway, I pointed out the National Theater (the Egg), the Great Hall of the People, the National Museum, and the War Memorial statue at the center of Tsquare. I was going to take her to meet Mao and his portrait at the South Gate of Forbidden City, but the pedestrian traffic was NUTS. It was a glorious blue sky Sunday morning, with spring like weather, and everyone seemed to be taking advantage of the warmer temperatures to visit FC.
Instead, we made a detour, walked along the walled border of Forbidden City, past the West Gate of the Imperial Museum, and around the moat to the North Gate. From there, we crossed the street to Jingshan Park, and paid all of 2rmb (that's thirty cents) for a glorious afternoon in the park!
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It was a beautiful walk around the moat. I have never seen the
water so clear. How about those watch towers??? |
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You can imagine what it must have been like
centuries ago, when it was a walled city.
Now the Forbidden City is home to about
900 empty buildings and the Imperial Museum. |
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Dancing in the park is the norm in China,
no music is really necessary! |
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Our destination was the temple at the top of Jingshan hill.
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Here you get the best views of Forbidden City. You can
also see the Egg (the National Theater) to the right.
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| Another view of the moat and watch tower. |
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As I was enjoying the 360 degree views of the city,
I caught this guy pointing his camera my way, lol. |
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It was the perfect day to take in Beijing! This is the Beihai
lakes area, with the White Pagoda to the left.
The air was clear enough to see the mountains, too! |
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| I snapped a photo of the photographer :) |
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| A sneaky peek in to the temple- no photos allowed. |
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| Gorgeous architecture- see the Chinese dragons? |
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| Selfie- with the Forbidden City behind us- just like tourists! |
panoramic view
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| Momma was giving this little Chinese nugget a history lesson :) |
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| We decided to hike down the back side of the hill. |
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I'm glad we did, because I saw a 'first' today, and
I have been to this park many, many times. This was
the site where Emperor Chongzhen, in the 17th
year of his reign, had the Forbidden City fortress
invaded in a peasant uprising led by Li Zicheng.
The Emperor escaped out the back, ran in to
Jingshan park and hung himself. This is not the
same tree, but another that was planted in it's place. |
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True to being tourists, we bought refrigerator magnets, I got
a unique city map as a keepsake, and we bought this popular
street food. You can get any variety of fruit, that has been
dipped in a sticky sugary coating. It's kind of like candied
apples, only different. Deanna had strawberries, and I
had oranges and kiwis. They were messy, but soooo tasty! |
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It was a lovely afternoon, in the presence of a wonderful woman.
After we bid our goodbyes, I returned to my apartment complex,
but I wasn't ready to leave the sunshine just yet. I sandwiched
myself between the old folks, listening to them chittering
about their grandbabies, ailments, and what to eat for dinner.
(I'm only guessing; I don't speak Chinese!)
It really didn't matter what they were saying.
With my face to the sun, I was the happiest girl in China :)
G'nite, y'all! |
