Day 2: Forbidden city

A nice and sunny day. We got a late start and needed some coffee to get going. The good ol' 'Sculpture in Time' café was appreciated.


We took a taxi right down to the Forbidden City. Man, why do they have to drag all their stuff with them everywhere!?


Dad was checking if it was the real thing. Pretty funny. But it is true, who knows what is old, what is badly restored, and what is new.


The entrance nowadays is 60 RMB and it seems like even the Chinese have to pay the same price nowadays. Pretty pricey since the whole thing is under restoration before the Olympics. This together with the hoards of Chinese tourists with hats following tour guides with mega-phones and flags makes the Forbidden city a pretty 2nd rate experience.


"That is cool! That is how we are going to redecorate our house!"


After we continued to 景山公园 (JingShan GongYuan) and had a little pick nick. I had my coffee press with me and we had crackers and a Youzi, a grapefruit kind of fruit (pompelon fruit?). Really nice to sit and watch and listen to the city below. Meanwhile the smog was accumulating rapidly...


The forbidden city seen from the park. The day before was a real clear day. Today... was ok. A couple of days more without wind and we would probably just be able to see the first rooftop. It is still an impressive view.


Some ladies dancing in the park. Hope we can catch more park action later. It is pretty cool to see the old ladies and boys sing and dance in the parks.


Next we walked over to Wangfujin.


Mom was looking for something cool and different. Most stuff in this place was perhaps a little bit too different...


Dinner at the food court at the New Oriental Plaza.

Tomorrow we are 'doing' the Great Wall.