Hi all...

Over our short May break I headed to Beijing!  We ended up booking a tour and saw some amazing places!

DAY 1:

First Stop:  Bejing Zoo (we really wanted to see pandas!)

Yes, we did see pandas.  However, it was a little sad to see how dirty they were.  They seemed hungry and not well taken care of... so we left pretty quickly.

Second Stop:  Pearl Market!  

Showing us the different colors of pearls!

Pearl lotion!

I bought one of these... beautiful!

Third Stop:  Lunch

Peking Duck

I had the hardest time using chopsticks... my fine motors are really lacking! =(  haha

Yum!

Fourth Stop:  Summer Palace

The pictures do not do this place justice!  It was absolutely HUGE and amazing!  

Fifth Stop:  Olympic Stadium - from a distance

The olympics were last help in Beijing in 2008!  We asked Linda, our guide, if the traffic was absolutely awful during that time (it's typically horrible there on an average day).  She smiled, and said traffic was excellent.  Apparently all public roads were CLOSED during the olympics!

To the hotel... for a bit!

Sixth Stop:  Qianmen Street - pedestrian shopping street

Amazing first day...

Love, 

K