Summer Palace & Great Wall

I'm falling asleep waiting for pictures to upload so I can send them on to Carla. It was a very busy day with a ton of walking. We went to the Summer Palace first and it was as beautiful as the first time we were there. We would have so loved to have seen it at different time of the year but it seems that just was not meant to be. All the same it was beautiful. The first time we stopped and posed for a picture we were swarmed with by a couple of young women who wanted to have their pictures taken with us. This happened a couple of times but a ton for the younger girls in our group. Taylor and Katie were stopped a ton. Not so much by adults but by girls their age. It was rather cute as they were shy at first and some were afraid to ask for a picture with the two girls. The little five year old that is in our group wanted nothing to do with any of it. Who can blame her?!?! We headed to the jade factory after the Summer Palace. Last time we were here we bought a jade bangle from them and it broke after a certain little girl dropped it on our tile floor. We did not buy another. They have however added on to the building making it look much more fancy. From there we went to lunch, it was very tasty. We were able to see how they made Colonaise items. There was a huge shopping area attached to the restaurant for one to spend more money. Straight from lunch we went to the Great Wall. It's always a beautiful sight as your driving up the mountain side. We were able to see some of the wall that has deteriorated. We decided to climb the harder side this time as well so Taylor could get a sense of how step and uneven the steps really are. Not to mention there are far more vendors on the easy side. We have some beautiful picture of some of the families within our group on The Wall. We had the famous duck dinner tonight. The last time we were here we did not like it. This time though it was rather delicious. I'm glad we gave it a try again. Our guides have been great. Maggie sang The Star Spangle Banner in Chinese to us and it was beautiful. She has such a lovely voice. Rosa remembers us from when we traveled two years ago as well as our travel mates! :) We feel so blessed to have them as our guides again. Tomorrow is another busy day. We will go Church, Tiananmen Square and The Forbidden City. We are tired but so excited to be here. Only one more day! Thanks for following along and praying for us. Please keep them coming as we are so close to meeting Evan. Bob, Cheri & Taylor