Beijing!

We went to Beijing for Spring break. What a fantastic city! This is the first time we've ever done an organized tour -- I must admit it was convenient: hop on the bus and they take you where you're scheduled to go, no thinking involved! The other families on the tour were really fun so we all had a fun time.

These are the places to which we went (in no particular order): The Great Wall (Mu Tian Yu Section), Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace, the Ming Tombs, the Temple of Heaven, the 2008 Olympic Green Park (including the Bird's Nest and the Water Cube) and, in contrast to the modernity of the Olympic Park, a typical "hutong" (communal neighborhood) where we were provided lunch by a local family! We also went to a wonderful acrobatic show and a kung fu performance.

What a wonderful trip!

Here's a few photos....

Cherry Blossom Season

Right before we left for China the cherry trees bloomed.  By the time we returned, the blossoms were gone....