Day 92- Beihai Park, Forbidden City, Tian'anmen Square and Fried Enema

We covered MILES on our feet all Saturday afternoon and evening.  It was a beautiful blue sky, clean air kind of day, and though it was chilly, we wanted to take advantage of seeing some of the more familiar sights in Beijing.

There are two hutongs we have found that have
one instrument store after another.  If you are
shopping for a guitar, a band instrument, or a traditional
Chinese instrument, this is the place to get a deal.
I am the proud owner of a new guitar, and his
name is Jackson, as in Randy Jackson, dawg :)

I would have loved to buy a trumpet, and pick it
up again, but practicing a trumpet in an apartment
building is less than ideal for everyone involved.
Who wants to hear me blast a clunker?!  I did enjoy
talking with this man who is a trumpet teacher. He
played a Sousa march and Jingle Bells for me. I couldn't
 help but smile :) Band memories are GREAT memories!

This hutong was one of the cooler ones we have found.  We even discovered
a new Mexican restaurant, and got a personal tour from the owner.
I will be back for certain to sample their margaritas and guacamole :)

There was no room for chips and salsa, as I discovered
a new found love from 85 Bakery- chocolate buns!
Oh. My. Goodness. Gracious :)

I had to stop and snap a picture of the flowers.  I had
gerbera daisies around my koi pond at home, and the
beautiful tiger lily reminded me of my beautiful momma.
I miss you, Mom.  

I had to stop and snap this shot- two old Chinese men shooting the breeze
in the late afternoon sun.  It made me smile :)  

As usual, I get a chuckle over Chinglish signs, though
this one reminded me of my Dad.  I don't see his name
very often, and it gave me one of the better memories of
seeing him in the backyard, fishing along the Elkhart River.
My mood is tending towards melancholy as my thoughts carry
me home to the holidays which are beginning this next week.

My dad would have had a fishing pole in one hand, a PBR beer can in the other
hand, and a cigarette dangling from his mouth- except not here- NO SMOCKING!

I'm not even sure what this sign means...is there welfare in China?  Do they
they have a lottery that supports the welfare system?  I have not seen lottery
tickets anywhere in this country.  It's also quite possible that this is just another
sign lost in translation...it may have nothing to do with the lottery or welfare!

Now this sign outside a restaurant was just plain disturbing.  I don't know
what to make of Fried Enema...I can't make this s**t up, people!  I want
no part of any creature's fried a**hole.  Just as disturbing is the one above-
'Fried Slightly Squeak.'  What the he** is that supposed to mean???
The fried sewer rat may not be entirely dead and is still slightly squeaking?!
Still, worse yet is the thought of my dog Simon, whom we called
Pippy Squeak.  His favorite game is to 'kill the squeak'.  So
maybe one Fried Slightly Squeak is one of Simon's chew toys
that is not all the way 'killed' and is still slightly squeaking.
SO. CONFUSING. I just had to simply walk away.

There was a tour bus of Chinese getting ready to cross the
road to Beihai Park. I wanted to snap a photo of this little
old man that was wearing his hat like Gilligan, but he
would have none of it.  Instead, this lady jumped right in
for a selfie, and we were photo bombed by another woman, lol.

I have wanted to visit Beihai Park since I first arrived here.  There are
boats for rent to travel about the lakes and canals, but they were no longer available
as it is too late in the season.  Still, it was a perfect afternoon for a stroll in the park.

The male Mandarin duck's markings are beautiful.  Lucky for this guy....

...that he doesn't end up like these guys...Peking duck!
I have yet to try Peking duck, though I really do want to.

Somebody snapped a picture of me snapping pictures, lol.

Next stop was an island in the lake with Bai Ta,
also known as the White Pagoda.

It was worth the climb up, as the architecture against the
pretty blue sky was incredible. The White Pagoda was
built in 1651, but was shaken badly in two different earthquakes
in 1679 and again in 1730.  The upper part of the pagoda is
said to represent the 'thirteen heavens', but it was closed that day.

Though I couldn't go on up and into the White Pagoda to see the Buddha, when
I turned around, I was greeted by a beautiful view of the lake, the park, and the
city in the background.  The sky was turning pink in the late afternoon sun.

Next stop was through another hutong and street market
to climb up the hill at the back of the Forbidden City.

My eye was caught by this woman's beloved dog
who was sound asleep on the bottom shelf of her cart.
She was doing a brisk business selling fried
flat bread, but her buddy was not the least bit bothered
by all the people, noise, and confusion.  So cute.

I was simply looking for a quiet place to take in the
view of Forbidden City.  I was first at the Forbidden City
not long after arriving in Beijing.  I was told later
by a colleague to walk straight through the Forbidden
City, and then climb the hill to the pagoda at the back
of the walled city.  From up there, you'll find the best views
of the Beijing- only visible on a clean air day.  Today was IT :)

More steps to climb, but still smiling!

We made it- along with a few hundred other people
waiting to capture the setting sun on the cityscape.

The Forbidden City is behind 10m high walls, and it is surrounded by a moat.
  Every tile roof you see is a part of the original fortress, nearly 9000 palaces
 and halls in all. It has since been renamed the Palace Museum.

I don't even know what to say about this one, lol.

Inside the pagoda, high upon the hill top, was another
golden Buddha....I have seen a lot of golden Buddhas
in my travels already!

This one had a creepy golden cat that waved to passersby.

The ceiling and beams of the pagoda temple were painted beautifully, 

As we came down from the pagoda and stepped out on the street, (in search of
 a Western toilet and some food), we followed the moat around the Forbidden City.
Not at all interested in the fried enema or fried slightly squeak, we kept walking.

We made our way around the Forbidden City to Tian'anmen Square.  This is
Tian'anmen Gate, which is located across from the Square.  It is the only place
in Beijing where a picture of Mao Zedong is openly displayed. The Chinese
characters to the left says, "Long live the People's Republic of China."  The
characters on the right says, "Long live the great unity of all the peoples of
the world."  It was from this spot that Mao proclaimed the People's Republic
of China on October 1, 1949, in front of millions of Red Guards during
the Cultural Revolution.  Yeah, Mao and I are on a first name basis :)

There are two of these white marble columns on either side
of Tian'anmen Gate.  They date from 1420, during the Ming Dynasty.
Tian'anmen Gate is also known as the Gate of Heavenly Peace.
That's hardly the image that comes to mind when I recall the
events on Tian'anmen Square the spring of 1989.
Interestingly, China is decidedly amnestic of that 'event'.

Next to the two giant columns are these marble lions,
which are on either side of the bridge that goes over the moat.
They are also from 1420, and are very impressive.

For his brother- yep, that's Len with Mao Zedong :)

Behind us is the actual Tian'anmen Square, marked by the
lighted monument in the center.  It is called the Monument
to the People's Heroes, dedicated to the fallen soldiers of
the Revolution.  The Square can hold over one million people,
and it is kept spotlessly clean.  It is flanked by several important
buildings; The Great Hall of the People (the Chinese Parliament),
the Mao Mausoleum (where he lies in state for viewing), the
National Museum of China, the Museum of the Chinese Revolution,
and the Museum of Chinese History.  This area reminds me a lot
of the trips I've made to our Nation's Capital to visit the many museums.

We continued on our trek in search of a German restaurant
that several colleagues have been to.  We passed this fancy
bakery with even more fancy wedding cakes on display.
The cake above was a $5,000 cake, and the one to the left
was 599,000 RMB, which is a $100,000 cake. Who does this?!

We also passed by some very serious looking police tanks and armored police vehicles.

At long last, we found the place- thanks to Google maps!  Len got
a much deserved German beer, as we had walked for MILES today. 

I enjoyed a delicious cup of hot mulled wine :)

The brats, mashed potatoes, and sauerkraut never tasted so good!

It made for a long afternoon and evening of touring, but we saw some incredible things along the way.  I also found some places I'd like to go back and explore some more when I have the time.
One thing is for certain, I will pass on the fried enema and fried slightly squeak!  G'nite, y'all :)