Dumplings make a great breakfast :) / Dumplings sind ein super Frühstück :)
We ordered plenty of them..... *yummy* / Wir haben viele Dumplings bestellt...... *yummy*
What to do with half a day...? We decided to go to the Olympic parc and have a look at the impressive birds nest olympic stadium. We took the underground to go there to add to our Beijing experience.Taking the Beijing underground....one has to go through a scanner like at the airport! / Um die Pekinger Untergrundbahn zu benützen muss man durch einen Scanner gehen wie am Flughafen!
Very sophisticated and easy to find your way around! / Sehr durchdacht und einfach sich zurecht zu finden!
Map of the Beijing subway / Plan der Pekinger Untergrundbahn
The subway is a cheap way to get around in Beijing. Flat fee of 3 RMB (CHF 0.5) / Die Untergrundbahn ist ein günstiges Fortbewegungsmittel in Peking. Pauschalpreis von 3 RMB (CHF 0.5)
Unfortunately, it was a bit of a grey day and it was slightly rainy but the stadium was nevertheless a real attraction. Especially when dusk was settling in and the lights were turned on at the stadium - a marvelous view! Next to the birds nest stadium there is the National Aquatics Center, nicknamed as the water cube! Really Cool! :)
Very sophisticated and easy to find your way around! / Sehr durchdacht und einfach sich zurecht zu finden!
Map of the Beijing subway / Plan der Pekinger Untergrundbahn
The subway is a cheap way to get around in Beijing. Flat fee of 3 RMB (CHF 0.5) / Die Untergrundbahn ist ein günstiges Fortbewegungsmittel in Peking. Pauschalpreis von 3 RMB (CHF 0.5)
Therefore lots of people are using this way of transport / Daher benützen viele Leute dieses Transportmittel 
Our stop: The Olympic sports center! / Unsere Haltestelle: Das Olympische Sport Zentrum!
Our stop: The Olympic sports center! / Unsere Haltestelle: Das Olympische Sport Zentrum!
Unfortunately, it was a bit of a grey day and it was slightly rainy but the stadium was nevertheless a real attraction. Especially when dusk was settling in and the lights were turned on at the stadium - a marvelous view! Next to the birds nest stadium there is the National Aquatics Center, nicknamed as the water cube! Really Cool! :)The 'Birds nest Olympic Stadium' - designed by compatriot fellows from Basel / Das 'Vogelnest Olympische Stadion' - entworfen von Landsmännern aus Basel
And the National Acquatics Center / Und das nationale Schwimmstadion
We were very impressed! WOW! / Wir waren sehr beeindruckt! WOW!
When dusk settles in.... the stadiums get even cooler! This one is nick named: The Water Cube! / Wenn es einduckelt.... sind die Stadien sogar noch schöner! Dieses hat den Spitznamen: Wasserkubus!
And the National Acquatics Center / Und das nationale Schwimmstadion
We were very impressed! WOW! / Wir waren sehr beeindruckt! WOW!
When dusk settles in.... the stadiums get even cooler! This one is nick named: The Water Cube! / Wenn es einduckelt.... sind die Stadien sogar noch schöner! Dieses hat den Spitznamen: Wasserkubus!
The stadium is very beautiful. Especially when the lights go on. / Das Stadion ist sehr schön. Vor allem wenn die Lichter angehen.
Unfortunately we were too late to take a tour through the inside of the stadium / Leider waren wir zu spät um eine Tour durch das Innere des Stadions zu machen
We took the tube back into town and headed to the Xiaoshibei Hutong, one of the famous Hutongs in Beijing. Hutongs are alleys formed by lines of siheyuan, traditional courtyard residences.
We took the tube back into town and headed to the Xiaoshibei Hutong, one of the famous Hutongs in Beijing. Hutongs are alleys formed by lines of siheyuan, traditional courtyard residences.
Today these Hutongs are unfortunately not as original anymore and more transformed into tourist attractions with lots of caffees and restaurants. But if you walk around enough into the hutongs you can still see and get a feeling of how people are living there.
It was already around ten o'clock when we called it a day!
After dinner we walked around the Hutongs / Nach dem Abendessen sind wir in den Hutongs spazieren gegangen
Many Hutongs are transformed in cool small cafes and bars / Viele Hutongs wurden in Kaffees und Bars umgewandelt
Entrance to an inner yard of the Hutongs / Eingang zum Innenhof eines Hutongs
Many Hutongs are transformed in cool small cafes and bars / Viele Hutongs wurden in Kaffees und Bars umgewandelt
Entrance to an inner yard of the Hutongs / Eingang zum Innenhof eines Hutongs
Mishell caught this crew having staff dinner / Mishell hat dieses Team beim Mitarbeiter Abendessen erwischt
Starbucks in Chinese - looks like the Chinese like their Coffee as well! / Starbucks auf Chinesisch - es schaut so aus, also ob Chinesen auch Kaffee mögen!
The next day we got picked up by a very chatty taxi driver to drive us to the Great Wall. Pasci got to try his mandarin skills in real life: "What's your name? Are you married? Do you have kids?" And so on... After about an hours drive we arrived at the Mutianyu Great Wall which winds along lofty, cragged mountains.
After a short cable car ride (yes, we took the cable car up!! otherwise it would be quite a steep walk and it was still raining) we stepped our feet on the Great Wall.
The next day we got picked up by a very chatty taxi driver to drive us to the Great Wall. Pasci got to try his mandarin skills in real life: "What's your name? Are you married? Do you have kids?" And so on... After about an hours drive we arrived at the Mutianyu Great Wall which winds along lofty, cragged mountains.The majority of the existing wall was built during the Ming Dynasty and built originally to protect the northern borders of the Chinese Empire against intrusions by various nomadic groups from the north.
Initially it looked like we were quite unlucky with the weather on that day, since it was raining hard during the drive. But once arrived at the Great Wall the rain changed to more of a drizzle and eventually stopped entirely. Insofar we were quite lucky since because of the bad weather there were almost no tourist at the Great Wall, which is cool and especially nice to take pictures.
After a short cable car ride (yes, we took the cable car up!! otherwise it would be quite a steep walk and it was still raining) we stepped our feet on the Great Wall. The first Unternährers ever to climb the great wall - what a historic event :) / Die ersten Unternährers in der Geschichte die auf die Chineische Mauer gestiegen sind :)
"Aaaarrrhaaarrrrharrrrrr"
Side profile of the great wall / Seitenansicht der Chinesischen Mauer
If the height damaged Pasci's brain cells??! / Hat die höhe Pasci's Hirnzellen zu schaffen gemacht??!
We walked along the great wall for about 1.5km and enjoyed the great view. It was still a bit misty due to the rain which contributed to the great atmosphere. We walked up and down the wall for nearly 3 hours, before returning down with the cable car.
The Great Wall winds seemingly endlessly along the hilltops of China / Die Chinesische Mauer scheint sich unendlich entlang der Bergkette zu winden
We walked along the great wall for about 1.5km and enjoyed the great view. It was still a bit misty due to the rain which contributed to the great atmosphere. We walked up and down the wall for nearly 3 hours, before returning down with the cable car.The Great Wall is a really impressive construction, especially when you think about the time it
was built and the means they had available at that time. IMPRESSIVE!
Of course this part of the Great Wall has been renovated some time ago / Natrülich wurde dieser Abschnitt der Chinesischen Mauer vor einer Weile renoviert 
Initially it was drizzling - but the weather turned to our favor / Anfangs war es am Nieseln - doch das Wetter hat sich zu unseren Gunsten gewendet
The view over the Chinese Wall is very fascinating! / Die Aussicht über die Chinesische Mauer ist sehr faszinierend!
If the ladies were as pretty in the Ming Dynasty / Waren die Frauen auch so schön in der Ming Dynastie
The perfect set up for an artistic shot of the Great Wall! / Das perfekte Set up für ein künstlerisches Photo der Chinesischen Mauer
The perfect set up for an artistic shot of the Great Wall! / Das perfekte Set up für ein künstlerisches Photo der Chinesischen Mauer
Time for a couple picture / Zeit für ein Paarphoto
So much of the Great Wall for us today.... / Soviel Chinesische Mauer für uns für heute....
Guozijian Street - a historicaly very important street in Beijing / Guozijian Strasse - historisch eine wichtige Strasse in Peking
Arriving back in the city the taxi driver dropped us of near the Hutongs and we explored more of the ancient style of housing in Beijing. In the middle of the Hutongs are the Drum and Bell Tower. The Bell and Drum towers were the center of time telling during the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties. We enjoyed the sunset at the Qianhai lake in the middle of the Hutongs.
Guozijian Street - a historicaly very important street in Beijing / Guozijian Strasse - historisch eine wichtige Strasse in Peking
Hutongs traditionally had courtyards / Hutongs haben traditionell einen Innenhof
Traditionally Chinese do not believe in diapers - or put it the other way round: they like their freedom in their private parts (see the slit) / Traditionell mögen Chinesen keine Windeln - oder andersrum: sie mögen ihre Freiheit im Genitalbereich (siehe den Schlitz)
Since we have eaten quite a bit during the day we only had a light dinner - Chinese Pizza style! / Da wir über den Tag schon einiges gegessen haben, hatten wir uns für ein leichtes Abendessen entschieden - Chinesische Pizza!
Mishell dared to go on one of the public toilets in the Hutong - Squat toilets, half high walls so you can see and talk to your neighbour while doing your business! hehe... / Mishell getraute sich auf eine öffentliche Toilette in den Hutongs - Hocke-Toiletten mit halbhohen Wänden, sodass man mit seinem Nachbar reden kann während dem man sein Geschäft erledigt! hehe..
The drum and bell tower were the center of the time keeping in the ancient days / Der Trommel und Glockenturm waren das Zentrum für die Zeitmessung in den altertümlichen Tagen
The drum and bell tower were the center of the time keeping in the ancient days / Der Trommel und Glockenturm waren das Zentrum für die Zeitmessung in den altertümlichen TagenThe drum tower.... / Der Trommel Turm...
.... and the bell tower / ....und der Glocken Turm
Roast Ducks...always a delicacy! / Geröstete Ente....immer eine Delikatesse!
Beautiful sunset in the Hutongs... / Wunderschöner Sonnenuntergang in den Hutongs...
They converted many Hutongs into Bars....the vicious circle of too many tourists! / Sie haben viele Hutongs in Bars umgewandelt....der Teufelskreis von zuvielen Touristen!
Silver Ingot Bridge, separating Houhai and Qianhai lakes / Die 'Silver Ingot' Brücke, separiert Houhai und den Qianhai See
Very romantic walk along the Qianhai lake / Romantischer Spaziergang entlang des Qianhai See
And then it was time to get a cab and go home... / Und dann war es Zeit ein Taxi zu rufen und nach Hause zu gehen....
Our programme did not allow a break - so the next day we had quite a full program with some major sights of Beijing: Temple of Heaven, Ming Tombs and Summer Palace. A packed day!!!
Our programme did not allow a break - so the next day we had quite a full program with some major sights of Beijing: Temple of Heaven, Ming Tombs and Summer Palace. A packed day!!!We started early in the morning (09.00) at the Temple of Heaven. Around the temple there is a huge park which is heavily used by the local retirees for all kinds of activities: Playing instruments, singing, playing cards, gymnastics, chess, dancing etc.
Outdoor dancing classes are very popular in China! / Tanzunterricht im Freien ist sehr populär in China
In the park there is a lot of equipment provided...and it is heavily used! / Der Park ist mit vielen Geräten ausgestattet...und es wird rege benutzt!
Very important to stay flexible / Sehr wichtig das man beweglich bleibt
It is a social place where all the single retiree ladies can go and pick up retiree men and vice versa of course! :) Very entertaining to watch these activities...and Pasci was even challenged or invited to demonstrate how flexible he is. Unfortunately he lost that contest against the 66 years old dude - ayyyooohhhh.....!
This dude (he is 60+) was showing off how flexible he still is! / Dieser Typ (er ist über 60 Jahre alt) hat damit angegeben, wie beweglich er immernoch ist!
Dunno what this one is called - but it is rhythmical swinging of this flag to the sound of the music / Keine Ahnung wie dieser Sport heisst - aber man muss die Fahne rhyhtmisch zu der Musik schwingen
It is a social place where all the single retiree ladies can go and pick up retiree men and vice versa of course! :) Very entertaining to watch these activities...and Pasci was even challenged or invited to demonstrate how flexible he is. Unfortunately he lost that contest against the 66 years old dude - ayyyooohhhh.....!This dude (he is 60+) was showing off how flexible he still is! / Dieser Typ (er ist über 60 Jahre alt) hat damit angegeben, wie beweglich er immernoch ist!
...and then he challenged Pasci to show how flexible he is?!? / Und dann hat er Pasci herausgefordert zu zeigen wie beweglich er ist?!?
*auauaua....* Can-not-lah! / *auauau* Es geht nicht weiter! :(
and then he demonstrated (or showed off) this advanced-yoga pose / und dann hat er diese Yoga Übung für Fortgeschrittene demonstriert
Some of the singing & theater plays found big audiences / Einige der Gesang & Theater Vorführungen fanden grossen Anklang
*auauaua....* Can-not-lah! / *auauau* Es geht nicht weiter! :(
and then he demonstrated (or showed off) this advanced-yoga pose / und dann hat er diese Yoga Übung für Fortgeschrittene demonstriert
Some of the singing & theater plays found big audiences / Einige der Gesang & Theater Vorführungen fanden grossen Anklang
It felt like all the retirees of Beijing are gathering in this Park / Es fühlte sich so an, als ob sich alle Pensionäre der Stadt in diesem Park treffen
In ancient China, the Emperor of China was regarded as the Son of Heaven, who administered earthly matters on behalf of, and representing, heavenly authority. To be seen to be showing respect to the source of his authority, in the form of sacrifices to heaven, was extremely important. The temple was built for these ceremonies, mostly comprising prayers for good harvests.
In ancient China, the Emperor of China was regarded as the Son of Heaven, who administered earthly matters on behalf of, and representing, heavenly authority. To be seen to be showing respect to the source of his authority, in the form of sacrifices to heaven, was extremely important. The temple was built for these ceremonies, mostly comprising prayers for good harvests. There he was - the Temple of Heaven / Da war er - der Himmlische Tempel
....heavenly beautiful this temple / ....himmlisch schön dieser Tempel
....heavenly beautiful this temple / ....himmlisch schön dieser Tempel
Some traditional dancing in costumes going on! / Traditionelle Tänze in Kostümen
After the temple our private taxi took us to the Ming Tombs, another major sight spot around Beijing. It is the last resting-place for 13 emperors of the Ming Dynasty. The site of the Ming Dynasty Imperial Tombs was carefully chosen according to Feng Shui principles (there are mountains and lakes around the tombs).
Along with the Chinese mass we walked through the rather unspectacular tomb. We relied again on an electronic guide, this time though it was a better and more accurate version. Mishell challenged herself to the Chinese version of the electronic guide! :)
The Ming Tombs are one of the Epicentre of Chinese tourism! / Die Ming Gräber sind eines der Epizentren des Chinesischen Tourismus!
Although the electronic guide was quite good, the sight of the excaveted tomb is rather poor / Obwohl der elektronische Touristenführer gut war, sind die ausgehobenen gräber eher unspektakulär
The different chambers had different uses and contained differnet goods that the emperor wanted to bring with him for his afterlife / Die verschiedenen Kammern hatten unterschiedliche Nutzen und beinhalteten unterschiedliche Güter, welche der Kaiser für das Leben im Jenseits benötigte
The red boxes are the caskets: One for the emperor, one for his wife and one for his preferred concubine / Die roten Boxen sind die Särge: Einer für den Kaiser, einer für seine Frau und eine für seine bevorzugte Geliebte (Konkubine)
Finally our last stop on this day was the Summer Palace. This huge area of temples, gardens, pavilions, lakes and corridors was once a playground for the imperial court.
Although the electronic guide was quite good, the sight of the excaveted tomb is rather poor / Obwohl der elektronische Touristenführer gut war, sind die ausgehobenen gräber eher unspektakulär
The different chambers had different uses and contained differnet goods that the emperor wanted to bring with him for his afterlife / Die verschiedenen Kammern hatten unterschiedliche Nutzen und beinhalteten unterschiedliche Güter, welche der Kaiser für das Leben im Jenseits benötigte
The red boxes are the caskets: One for the emperor, one for his wife and one for his preferred concubine / Die roten Boxen sind die Särge: Einer für den Kaiser, einer für seine Frau und eine für seine bevorzugte Geliebte (Konkubine)
Finally our last stop on this day was the Summer Palace. This huge area of temples, gardens, pavilions, lakes and corridors was once a playground for the imperial court. The Summer Palace is mainly dominated by Longevity Hill (60 meters high) and the replica Kunming Lake. This lake was entirely man made and the excavated soil was used to build Longevity Hill. CRRRRAZZZZZZZZZZY! But what else can you do if you have 100 thousands of labourers at hand??! :)
Welcome to the Summer Palace / Willkommen im Sommer Palast
Perfect timing: We reached the palace shortly before sunset. Great pictures! / Perfektes Timing: Wir waren kurz vor Sonnenuntergang beim Sommer Palast. Super Photos!
Welcome to the Summer Palace / Willkommen im Sommer Palast
Perfect timing: We reached the palace shortly before sunset. Great pictures! / Perfektes Timing: Wir waren kurz vor Sonnenuntergang beim Sommer Palast. Super Photos!
The long corridor was built to protect the emperor's mother from the elements / Der lange Korridor wurde gebaut, um die Mutter des Kaisers von den Elementen zu beschützen
Emperor Qianlong might have chosen to construct the Marble Boat on a solid stone base to indicate that the Qing Dynasty was not to be overthrown / Kaiser Qianlong wollte ein Boot aus Marmor um zu symbolisieren, dass die Qing Dynastie nicht umgeworfen werden kann
Beautiful sunset at the 'articial' Kunming lake / Wunderschöner Sonnenuntergang am 'künstlichen' Kunming See
Very tired after a loooooong day we returned to our hotel. As it is part of a long travel where you spend a lot of time together we took this chance and had a massive fight that night..... :-/ GREAT!
Emperor Qianlong might have chosen to construct the Marble Boat on a solid stone base to indicate that the Qing Dynasty was not to be overthrown / Kaiser Qianlong wollte ein Boot aus Marmor um zu symbolisieren, dass die Qing Dynastie nicht umgeworfen werden kann
Beautiful sunset at the 'articial' Kunming lake / Wunderschöner Sonnenuntergang am 'künstlichen' Kunming See
Very tired after a loooooong day we returned to our hotel. As it is part of a long travel where you spend a lot of time together we took this chance and had a massive fight that night..... :-/ GREAT!
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