Day 9 continued

Today we visited the Great Wall. Despite the wind and rain it was an amazing experience. It is listed as one of the wonders of the world, built over 2000 years ago and stretching a distance of 5500 miles. Sadly I didn't make it all the way across! We climbed the wall over a mountain and there were a lot of steps, some of which were higher than my waist. It really was a great defence system. We stopped at one of the stations to take photos and ended up with a queue of Chinese wanting to take photos of us!!

After lunch we travelled to one of the greatest sights in China, Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. The square itself is known for its historic riots and now its peace. It is heavily guarded by uniformed and plain clothes officers. It is the size of 60 football pitches but there were very few people there because it was so cold!

The Forbidden City though, was worth the freezing fingers. It was a truly unforgettable sight with a long and intriguing history. It was the Imperial Palace for the Emperors of China and consists of building upon building and named as it was forbidden to enter without the Emperor's permission. There were many rules about moving around the city during the time of the Emperor's, including one where if you walked on an Emperor's path you would receive the death sentence! Even today there are many rooms that visitors are not allowed into.

And that is the end of our colourful Chinese adventure. Tomorrow it is time to fly home. Bye for now.