June 17th, 10:40pm
HELLO, WORLD! Since arriving here in Beijing, China at 3pm on the 16th, life has been unbelievable. No matter where we go, I feel like I’m in a dream rather than actually living these amazing experiences. Yesterday, there was not much to write about other than the fact that we all arrived here safely. After clearing the airport, there was not much time to do any site seeing. Instead, we just took our tour buses to our Beijing residences in the lovely Presidential Beijing Hotel, and tried to get as much sleep as possible!
We had an absolutely exhausting day today, which started promptly with breakfast in the hotel at 6:45am. The food was all so different; these people eat fried noodles and steamed sponge cake for breakfast! Throughout the day, we ate at two slightly American-ized Chinese restaurants, but the food was wonderful. We’ve discovered that most meals here seem to be either buffets or family-style shared plates. Everything also is typically very spicy, tangy, or sweet.
Nothing could possibly compare to our monumental destinations today. Our first stop was at the most well-known Chinese tourist attraction in the world… the Great Wall of China! We were given two and a half hours to walk as far as we wanted, and I was so eager to get as far up as possible to take pictures for you all. However, ‘as far up as possible’ did not ending up being nearly as far as I wanted (I did not take into account my asthma, bad knee and ankle, and how steep the steps are!). Regardless, I have a gallery of breath-taking photos from the second rest point on the Wall! The experience was almost spiritual for me; being surrounded by something so profound and being so consumed by it made me feel connected to history and nature in a way I’ve never felt before. Let’s just say, if anyone’s looking for a great self-reflection hot spot, I’d definitely recommend a vacation to the Great Wall!
Our second adventure of the day took place at the Temple of Heaven in Beijing! Sadly, it started storming as soon as we approached the Temples, so our time was cut short. From what I did see in our half hour there, I gathered a lot of respect and interest in the religions and cultures of China! The only hard part about visiting here was that all of the historical postings inside the buildings were only written in Chinese (most places have things translated into English as well). The Temples were beautiful beyond description, but I sadly did not get any photos because of the rain! After it started raining harder again, we went to a tea house behind the Temple of Heaven. Here, we taste-tested multiple kinds of tea, and learned how to properly drink tea the Chinese way!
Our last (and rather exhausting experience of the day) was a two-hour rehearsal for our concert tomorrow. Many of the bigger instruments are rentals, and today was our first day working with the cellos, basses, harps, and some percussion equipment; this was a bit rough, but we worked through it quickly! Everything sounded great, and I can’t wait to make inspiring music with my fellow astounding musicians tomorrow night… which I will tell you all about after the concert! Wan’ an (good night)!!!`- Gina Muhl, harpist
HELLO, WORLD! Since arriving here in Beijing, China at 3pm on the 16th, life has been unbelievable. No matter where we go, I feel like I’m in a dream rather than actually living these amazing experiences. Yesterday, there was not much to write about other than the fact that we all arrived here safely. After clearing the airport, there was not much time to do any site seeing. Instead, we just took our tour buses to our Beijing residences in the lovely Presidential Beijing Hotel, and tried to get as much sleep as possible!
We had an absolutely exhausting day today, which started promptly with breakfast in the hotel at 6:45am. The food was all so different; these people eat fried noodles and steamed sponge cake for breakfast! Throughout the day, we ate at two slightly American-ized Chinese restaurants, but the food was wonderful. We’ve discovered that most meals here seem to be either buffets or family-style shared plates. Everything also is typically very spicy, tangy, or sweet.
Nothing could possibly compare to our monumental destinations today. Our first stop was at the most well-known Chinese tourist attraction in the world… the Great Wall of China! We were given two and a half hours to walk as far as we wanted, and I was so eager to get as far up as possible to take pictures for you all. However, ‘as far up as possible’ did not ending up being nearly as far as I wanted (I did not take into account my asthma, bad knee and ankle, and how steep the steps are!). Regardless, I have a gallery of breath-taking photos from the second rest point on the Wall! The experience was almost spiritual for me; being surrounded by something so profound and being so consumed by it made me feel connected to history and nature in a way I’ve never felt before. Let’s just say, if anyone’s looking for a great self-reflection hot spot, I’d definitely recommend a vacation to the Great Wall!
Our second adventure of the day took place at the Temple of Heaven in Beijing! Sadly, it started storming as soon as we approached the Temples, so our time was cut short. From what I did see in our half hour there, I gathered a lot of respect and interest in the religions and cultures of China! The only hard part about visiting here was that all of the historical postings inside the buildings were only written in Chinese (most places have things translated into English as well). The Temples were beautiful beyond description, but I sadly did not get any photos because of the rain! After it started raining harder again, we went to a tea house behind the Temple of Heaven. Here, we taste-tested multiple kinds of tea, and learned how to properly drink tea the Chinese way!
Our last (and rather exhausting experience of the day) was a two-hour rehearsal for our concert tomorrow. Many of the bigger instruments are rentals, and today was our first day working with the cellos, basses, harps, and some percussion equipment; this was a bit rough, but we worked through it quickly! Everything sounded great, and I can’t wait to make inspiring music with my fellow astounding musicians tomorrow night… which I will tell you all about after the concert! Wan’ an (good night)!!!`- Gina Muhl, harpist
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