BEIJING: The Forbidden City!

The Forbidden City of China! 

From 1420 to 1911 this place was forbidden to commoners. Only the Emperor's family and all their servants lived inside. 

It was huge. Massive. 900 something buildings, a huge moat, huge walls, huge gates.

and of course it was crowded

and hazy

Dave kept saying he was glad that we wore bright colors so he could spot us easily. 

Let's go in! Don't get lost. Stay right by me and hold my hand. 

Rub the gold balls for good luck. "Are they real gold?!" asks Gage. 

Every roof of every pagoda had 9 animals. With the Emperor riding a chicken in front. "A chicken?hahahaha" says Noah. 

Dragons symbolize the Emperor, a phoenix for the Empress.

It was so nice to follow the guide and have her explain everything. And to have Noah. He doesn't miss a good sign. 

One sign talked about a huge elaborate stone dragon carving. The largest ever. It was carved from one rock in the mountainside and then they sprinkled water on the road and transported it to the Forbidden City on a road of ice. 

We also learned more about the Ming and Qing dynasties. 24 emperors lived in the Forbidden City along with thousands and thousands of servants. We heard stories of invasions, attempted assassinations, rebellions. We saw treasures and artwork and inner courts and outer courts. 

This was on a normal Tuesday morning. Not a holiday or a Saturday or anything. So if you want to see the Emperor's throne you better get in there and push and shove. Watch out for the old grannies they will seriously trample you. No personal bubbles or 'excuse me' in the East. 

We found a nice quiet corner to have a snack. 

"Take a picture of my fist!" 

"Ok" 

We weren't alone for long. Sybil's paparazzi always show up. They crowd around (remember, no personal bubbles) smile, clap hands, pinch cheeks and take pictures.

Can you blame them? 

We made our way through the rest of the Forbidden City. We saw so much but there was still so much more to see. 

Gage made some friends. 

Sybil attracted a lot more paparazzi. 

And somehow, just somehow...

We made it out the other side! Really an amazing place.