With a Little Help from My Friends

Today was a great day! We started our day at the Temple of Heaven. Twice a year the Temple was used by the emperors to pray in for a good harvest. It is surrounded by a beautiful park. The park was filled with Senior Citizens who were exercising, playing cards, knitting, chatting with their friends, and having a great time. We went into the wooded area and practiced Tai Chi with a Master Teacher. Though none in our group were able to stretch as low as he did, we did have a great time. Later we visited the Temple. It was beautiful.

Before leaving the Temple we found out that our noon flight to Xi’an was cancelled. Rather than panic, our amazing Tour Guide John began adding stops to our agenda while his company worked on getting us a flight. We went to a well-known Tea House and were able to participate in a Tea Ceremony. The hostess taught us about the four most popular teas in China and their health benefits.

We had lunch in a Four Star Hotel. Every lunch and dinner has involved a large round table topped by a large glass Lazy Susan. Throughout the meal they keep bringing plates of food to the table. The patrons spin the Lazy Susan and serve themselves. We have become masters of chopsticks.

After lunch we visited the Olympic Park. We saw the Water Cube building where the pools were housed for the Olympics. We also saw the “Bird’s Nest” where the Opening and Closing Ceremonies were held for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. There were still vendors selling Olympic souvenirs around the complex. From there we went to a shopping district surrounding a lake. We rented tandem bicycles and went weaving in and out of traffic just like the locals. (I am quite sure that they would not agree that we were riding as well as them.) The ride included several near brushes with cars, rickshaws, and pedestrians.

From the Olympic Park we traveled to the Art District known as 758. The District was filled with Art Galleries. The Art ranged the gamut in form and subject. Leaving there, we finally arrived at the Airport for our new flight. As of this moment, the flight is 30 minutes late and could be cancelled again. Our group does not want to miss visiting Xi’an. That is the location of the Terracotta Warriors.

Although the original flight was cancelled, we wound up having a better day than planned because we were able to do so many things that were not on our original schedule. “With a Little Help from our Friends,” we were able to turn lemons into lemonade. I hope you are having a great start to your summer. I will post pictures when I return.