Fabulous Day at Forbidden City!

Entrance to the Forbidden City

We woke this morning to a gorgeous crisp fall day.  Our driver, Mark, picked us up at 10:00 a.m. to take us to the Forbidden City.  The Forbidden City has no equal.  It is unique in the world.  Besides being enormous, it is steeped in history.  Parts of the complex have been beautifully restored and they continue to work on restoration in an effort to preserve this irreplaceable piece of antiquity.

Tiananmen Square

Three hours was the time allotted, and while we saw much of the compound, we had to rush through some of the most interesting parts, including the personal living quarters of the Emperor and his family.  We did take a little time for a picnic lunch in the Emperor’s Garden.  That only seemed fitting since we are princesses, daughters of THE King.

Mark met us at the back gate and escorted us to the Emperor’s Garden across the street.  There wasn’t enough steam left in our engines to climb up to the temples at the top of the hill, but what we saw of the gardens was very beautiful, quiet, and serene … especially after the hustle and crowds in the Forbidden City.  On a future trip it would be wonderful to take an morning or an afternoon to stroll through the gardens and climb up to the temple for a spectacular overview of the Forbidden City.

Old City Gate in Tiananmen Square

We returned to the hotel via taxi to drop off our backpacks, then walked over to the brightly lit shopping street near the hotel looking for a new restaurant for dinner.  It was a surprise to run into Jeremy and Dennis having dinner with Grace and Andrew, the GPiH China staff.  Since the restaurant was crowded, after greeting everyone, we moved on to another restaurant nearby. 

It will be early to bed tonight because our alarms will ring us awake at 6:00 a.m.  All of us will be teaching tomorrow at a house “club.”  Please pr*y that our words will be His words and that He will use us to the maximum for His honor and glory.

Love and blessings,

Mary for the China Dolls