First, we stopped at the Forbidden City. It was so cold outside. It was almost impossible for me to pay attention to the tour guide. It was probably 20 degrees Fahrenheit, but it felt like below zero. I know we have cold winters in the Midwest, but this was a different type of cold. We walked straight through the Forbidden City. There were 14 buildings to walk straight through. At building 2, I was ready to go back to the car. My feet and legs were so numb, I don't understand how I was still able to walk. Maybe from the excitement of being in China. I even had a "Wow, I am really in China" moment today.
Emperors in Ancient China used the number nine for almost everything. The number was significant because it is the highest single digit number. The Forbidden City has 9,999 rooms. It took 14 years to build the Forbidden City, and each building is made without nails. After walking through the Forbidden City for about 1.5 hours, that's all I got. Hopefully, my pics will tell the story for me.
The best part of the day: we hiked the Great Wall of China! These pictures are priceless! I took us about an hour and ten minutes to climb the wall, and about 45 minutes to climb back down. I am terrified of heights, and the walk was very steep. I am surprised I made it to the top. On top of that, Alyssa has asthma and forgot her inhaler. I was terrified she would pass out on us, and we were on top of a mountain without medical emergencies. Surprisingly, she made it. Whew!
On our way to the top, some of the stairs were steeper than others. At some points, I was crawling up the stairs. In my mind I thought the Great Wall was wider than it actually was, and I didn't realized it consisted of stairs. Actually, I thought it was a very long walkway. I hope I do not sound ignorant for this comment, but I have to be honest.
At the top, the view was magnificent. I don't think it gets any better. Alyssa couldn't have nailed it better when she described as a "desktop background." My body will be extremely sore tomorrow, but it was definitely worth it. Brandon was even excited to "increase his selfie credit." <-- That comment had me almost pee in my pants. We had the best time climbing the wall. We laughed all the way up, and all the way down.