The Great Wall and Summer Palace

On Saturday, 12/5, our little group of soon-to-be adoptive parents went on another excursion to The Great Wall of China and the Summer Palace (both AMAZING!).  We had finally thawed out from the day before and we were all bundled up and ready for the worst.  It was funny, actually, because it wasn't nearly as cold as the day before!

Before making it The Great Wall, we toured a jade factory which was quite interesting.  The jade artisans worked meticulously on very complex and intricate pieces and we learned that there are various grades of jade and to beware of counterfeit jade.

After the tour, we finally made it to one of the great wonders of the world...The Great Wall.  It was incredible to be there!  Michael was giddy with excitement (those who know him well know how much he LOVES to climb stairs as part of his cardio exercise).  Each member of our group headed off on their own.  The stairs were very steep and somewhat treacherous in areas. 

(Huh?  How else do we get up there?!)

Locks of love.  Lovers have these locks engraved with their names and once attached to the chain,

they throw the keys over The Great Wall to symbolize their everlasting love.

(Michael's next attempt at a self portrait.  Big improvement, eh?  Tee-hee!)

That's a LONG way down!  We were proud of how high we climbed!

After our trek on the Wall, we headed off for a wonderful lunch of Chinese food. 

We were famished and the feast tasted wonderful. 

(Uh...yes, those are French Fries and none of us had any idea why.  They sat untouched as we devoured the feast of yummy Chinese food!) 

The place where we were taken for lunch was also conveniently attached to a Cloisonne factory which, sadly, is becoming a lost art.  The factory workers labored on each piece with such precision in a cold environment.  It looked very tedious.

Soon after, we made our way to The Summer Palace which has been in existence since the 1700's. It is now virtually a huge museum. It was beautiful when we saw it, but I can only imagine how lovely it is in the summer!

Another great day.  After this long day of sightseeing as we were headed back to our hotel, each of the families sat on the bus in nervous anticipation.  We all realized that within 24 hours, after years of waiting, we would all FINALLY be parents.  Tomorrow was going to be a GREAT day!