Day 3

Wow- what a busy day we had!  We started the morning with a buffet breakfast that everyone enjoyed- thank goodness!  We met our guide in the hotel lobby at 9:30 am to begin our day.  We drove to Tienanmen  Square where we were dropped off with our guide.  We immediately were bombarded with people trying to sell us hats, flags, stuffed animals...  We bundled up with our own hats, scarves, and gloves- it was cold for us Floridians.  We walked through the square and then over to the Forbidden City.  I had no idea just how large it was!  As we walked through and out(as we thought), along came another set of buildings.   This must have happened at least 6 times!  I cannot tell you how beautiful it was.  The buildings themselves were magnificent- just the painting and colors of each building were beautiful!  After leaving, we walked about 10 minutes to meet our driver.  We were taken to a "local" restaurant to eat.  We asked what to expect for our meal and were told everything was vegetarian!  As most of you know, we are NOT adventurous when it comes to food.  We went in, sat down, and were immediately served about 5 different dishes.  You will see pictures below.  Please do not ask what they are- we really have no idea!  The only thing we ate- that is- myself and my mom was the dish with the sauteed snow peas.  At least everyone was served white rice which had to "keep" us till dinner.  After lunch we went to the City Touring Museum that had models of Beijing.  You can't imagine just how big this city is!  After the tour of the museum we drove to the silk factory where we saw the life cycle of a silk bug and all the beautiful silk items such as sheets, robes, pajamas, and dresses.  We were taken back to the hotel for a 1 hour rest.  Of course the boys crashed and had a difficult time waking up for dinner.  Tonight we were brought to one of the best Peking Duck restaurants-as we were told by our guide.  Needless to say we had to make a stop at good old MC Donalds after leaving the restaurant.  The boys had chicken nuggets and JC had a big mac.  Nana and I didn't get anything- we weren't really hungry after giving some of the food items ordered at the restaurant a try.  We are happy that the day is over because everyone is super tired!   I will add the pictures in the morning -JC is already fast asleep and I need his help to do the pictures! Make sure to come back and take a look!

                                                            Hotel Lobby

                                               At the breakfast buffet in the hotel.

                                                   Guy selling fruit on a stick.

                                           In front of the opera house/auditorium.

                                                        Tienanmen Square

                                                 Inside of the Forbidden City.

                                           Lunch- Your guess is as good as mine!

                            Dinner- Guess we need to find some Western restaurants.