Sight Seeing Day 2 - Forbidden City and Imperial Gardens

The hotel breakfasts are amazing.  They definitely cater to Westerners and have a great deal of comfort foods.  Dave is able to get coffee, which is good for everyone.

Today we went to the Forbidden City and Imperial Gardens.  It was very crowded and hot.  However, having Peter with us helped.  He knew how to navigate through the crowds.  The Forbidden City was built by the Emperor who moved the capital to Beijing.

outside the gate

The buildings are decorated with lions and dragons.  The use of vibrant colors showed the importance of the emperor.

view of Forbidden City from top of the hill in Imperial Gardens

The Imperial Gardens were breath-taking.  It is peony season and there were fields and fields of various types of peonies.  There were many musicians and dancers throughout the park.  They were meeting up with friends, just to play, sing, dance and have fun.  There were impromptu dance lessons. 

dancing in the park

this one was my favorite

Here are some pictures of us at the shopping center near our hotel.

What's Next -

Tomorrow (Sunday) we will fly to Nanjing.  Nanjing is the capital city in the province Lilly is from.  On Monday morning at 9am, we get Lilly!