Will we see the Wall??

Apparently not this time!! On Saturday we loaded up the children and planned to take them to see the Great Wall. Ellie got to go a couple weeks back for a school trip, but the boys have yet to see this magnificent structure!! We decided that we would make it a little weekend getaway and stay at the Jing Jin City Hyatt with our friends!!

We got on the road and within minutes we were sitting in stand still traffic. We found out that all highways to Beijing had been closed the night before due to fog and now everyone was trying to get on the highways. We were pretty much stuck, so we couldn’t turn around. It was a bit entertaining as we could watch the locals get out of their car and relieve themselves. Sometimes one person in the car would have a little walk up the road and then the car would meet them. Then occasionally we would encounter a car coming towards us. I only was able to giggle because we were going so slow that I was not scared!!

We finally made it to the hotel to check in and have lunch a mere 3 and a half hours after we had set off (this drive typically takes between 45 minutes to an hour!)! We were all starving and enjoyed big burgers and Eens ate his entire bowl of spaghetti! After lunch we made an executive decision that we would not go to the Great Wall - the thought of being stuck on a Chinese highway due to road closures from fog was just too scary and real!! Instead, we decided to explore the grounds of the hotel because the temperature was so pleasant outside! The kids enjoyed the fresh air and were amazed when they stumbled upon a huge pile of ice. We are assuming they were testing the equipment for artificial snow making, but in China, one never knows!! Regardless, the kids had a great time “skating” down the hill!

When the weather gets colder, this will be an ice skating rink!! For now, it was a great place for the children to run!!

Karen and I somehow squeezed in a massage while the boys watched the kids!! Then we had a very relaxing dinner followed by a serious game of bowling - children versus adults!! We only had one little mishap the next morning! The kids were taking a shower and part of the tile fell off from the bench! Thankfully no one was hurt but the noise scared us all!!

Although we didn’t get to see the Wall as intended, we had a very relaxing weekend!! It’s always nice to skip out on the cooking and cleaning over the weekend!!