Tag: Beijing

Beijing – Summer Palace, China

Hello From China!!!

I arrived from Japan at an ungodly hour and was transported to the Crowne Plaza Beijing Airport to sleep.  I would not recommend this place.  I think it is about to be dumped at a Crowne Plaza because it does’t meet international standards.

Anyway, after that I was taken by the tour company to the Aman at the Summer Palace.  A vast improvement!!

The hotel, while not old, was built to resemble the palace. It is beautiful.

 

Who wouldn’t want to start the day with breakfast here?

A very vocal little bird woke me up at 6:05 am on my first morning at the Summer Palace.   I quickly dressed and ran to the palace grounds to see what I could before the crowds arrived.  I am glad I did.

Later that same morning, we had a tour of the palace.  The crowds had arrived but it was still wonderful.

This is one of the windows that lines the corridors of the palace. They were built so the women of the court could view the outdoors without leaving the palace buildings.
The marble boat. One of the emporers wanted a boat that was so strong it could not sink. This is what he got. A boat made from marble. It cannot sink, but it also cannot go anywhere.
Elderly gentleman paingin on the slate. He paints the characters with water so the figures only last a few minutes.
A Phoenex at the palace.

After the summer palace, we went to central Beijing.  I will try to get those photos uploaded soon.