More sightseeing

So yesterday we took in the Drum Tower and the Bell Tower in Beijing. It was pretty interesting, but unfortunately it was pretty hazy in Beijing so the view wasn't as good as it could have been. We got to the top of the Drum Tower about 5 minutes before the next drum performance, so it was neat to take that in.

Here is a picture of the three of us by the drums.

And I took this picture of our guide, DoT and B on the climb down. The steps were very steep.

This is a picture of the Drum Tower, taken from the Bell Tower.

After taking in the views from the Towers we took in a tea ceremony. The room was set up for big groups, but we were the only ones there, so we got the ceremony all on our own. It was really interesting. I wish I could remember everything I learned about the teas, and which ones are better for which, but I can't. And of course, I wasn't video taping it when I should have been. All I remember is that oolong tea is good for digestion. I thought jasmine tea was the one that the guide said should be drunk by those of us who like to drink wine, since it will ward of liver disease; but DoT thinks she said that jasmine tea was good for the eyes. Alas, if only I had video taped the guide as she was explaining the teas, I'd have perfect skin, vision, and digestion, and all my internal organs would be in tip top shape. :-)

Next we headed to the site of the 2008 Olympics to take some pictures. We didn't go into any of the venues, but did get some picture outside. Unfortunately, we didn't really get any good ones -- DoT and I could have sworn the Lily took a picture of us with both the Birds Nest and the Watercube in it, but apparently not since it's not on our camera. Here are a couple of pictures though...

The Water Cube.

In front of the Bird's Nest.

Check out this building, built to look like the Olympic torch. During the Olympics it housed the media, but now I think it is an office building (either that or apartments, I can't remember what Lily said).

On the way out of the Olympic site, DoT spotted this bird, which Lily told us is a "happiness bird". Apparently if you spot it, it means you're going to have happiness.

Finally, we decided to have lunch at a hot pot restaurant (basically, hot pot is fondue as far as I can tell) ... according to our driver the best hot pot in Beijing. It was very good, so he may be right. Here's a photo of us at our first hot pot...

If any of you are going to be in Beijing and want to go to this restaurant, let us know and we'll give you a picture of the outside of it. We tried to get a card so we'd have the name and address of the restaurant, but unfortunately it was entirely in Chinese. Apparently they don't cater to foreigners too often. :-) Anyhow, we have a picture of the outside of the restaurant which I think shows the name and address.