Random Scenes of Beijing

The following photos are a random selection of scenes from our recent stay in Beijing. 

Thank you for allowing me to share our holiday. If you ever get the opportunity to visit China...don't hesitate. The history awaiting every turn is positively breathtaking!

Wangfujing street

Food glorious food

High fashion

Street art

Dancing in the Temple of Heaven

My gorgeous daughter and her serious camera

Temple of Heaven

Tiananmen Square

The Summer Palace

The Marble Boat / Summer Palace. I was truly entranced by this structure 

Summer Palace. A serene experience

Busy intersection from hotel window. 

Tiananmen Square guards. Another pinching myself experience standing in this square and remembering it's history.


Do you also look at holiday photos and wish to step back in time and experience the wonderment all over again?


Annie xx

The Forbidden City

Ever since viewing the film The Last Emperor in 1987 I have been fascinated with the Forbidden City. Without a doubt this was a major highlight of my trip to Beijing. I'd rather not try to document the history of this formidable city here because it's complex so please refer to the link for a summary. Yes I was blown away to finally realise this dream and I soaked up every facet of this wondrous place and it's history.

The photos are a small selection of the many I took on the gloomy day we ventured through the enormous gates.

Oh yes, another jaw dropping, pinching myself experience!

                                                         Magnificent door

One evening after our return home we sat through The Last Emperor for probably the sixth time and recalled different locations from the palace and spent the best part of two hours yelling out 'been there'!
Truly this is a must see during a visit to Beijing and I hope these photos give some reflection of the fascinating history of the incredible Forbidden City.

Annie xx

The Great Wall of China

Finding the right words to describe the Great Wall of China is difficult.

On arrival I pinched myself to ensure it wasn't a dream.

These photos are dark, gloomy and eerie due to the mist and this created a very spooky atmosphere. When my husband visited the Badaling section of the Wall several years ago it was spring and swarming with tourists like ants in a sugar bowl whereas we virtually had the place to ourselves for a couple of hours. Autumn is an ideal time to visit Beijing. 

My family are not lovers of tours rather we roam through countries at our own pace but in this case a guide is a sensible consideration. Our private guide was a young lady with reasonably good English, she picked us up in a cab from our hotel. The cab driver possessed hair-raising driving abilities and we embarked on the 70km trip northeast from Beijing. After conducting research beforehand we decided to visit the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall as it's quieter and not as touristy as the Badaling section. Although Mutianyu is further from Beijing my husband thought this section superior. On the return journey our little party stopped at a reputable restaurant for lunch and the meal of various dishes was superb.

Please if you ever get the opportunity to visit Beijing the Great Wall is a must. 

A short gondola ride to the Wall from the village

An experience of a lifetime and one that left me mulling over the man-power and loss of life this extraordinary structure devoured.

Annie xx

I'm Home

Hello Everyone

I'm back home after having a ball in Beijing and Hong Kong.

If you have not yet travelled to these cities then quickly put them on your bucket list because both are wonderful experiences. We've visited HK several times and while Mr red roses has hit the ground running once before on a quick visit to Beijing it was the first visit for me and our daughter.

Of course I took heaps of photos and shall probably bore you all senseless sharing some in the next few posts. 

Now just check out this skyline. The tallest building lit at the very top was behind our hotel in HK (on the island). Our abode is the wee building directly in front and it was about 40 floors high! 

Travelling to China one must participate in a spot of shopping therapy. Remarkably we didn't go overboard. Here's a few trinkets we hunted and gathered.
Several cashmere pashminas and silk scarves were added to my collection along with a few strands of bling from Beijing.

My favourite shoe shop at Stanley Market HK never disappoints when it comes to sourcing Birkenstock and this trip I also gathered a pair of sensible Merrill sandals.
Drastically reduced compared to Aust. prices tags let me tell you.

Duty free perfume was on the list. I took the leap and reignited an old love affair.
With Chanel No 5.
I've enjoyed wearing No 19 for about two decades so figured a change back to my first love was in order. Girls this fragrance is an all time classic and I love it to bits.
Yes I'm a creature of habit with fragrance but you can't beat the old timers in my opinion.

My son discovered a tailor in HK two years ago while he was kicking up his heels in the city.
Dear son had a bespoke suit and shirts made to measure so this trip Mr redroses and I trotted off to the same tailor. Mr red roses got all measured up and a spanking new suit and four shirts winged their way home in his suitcase. Only took two days to sew...unbelievable.
Not one to be left out I carted a favourite frock in my luggage which the very clever tailor copied exactly and voila!... my wardrobe now contains two new summer additions created with the softest cotton in my choice of patterns, lined and with pockets. Teamed with a belt and I'm good to go.
Bliss for a stifling summer.
                                             

Today I was joking with a friend how I craved plain comfort food after nearly two weeks of delectable spicy meals.
So here is tonight's dinner...BBQ chook, mash and lashings of gravy. Hit the spot!

A tad more boring don't you agree than skewered scorpion?

Hmm...do you think I ate these critters?

Travelling restricts the reading of fave blogs and I'm dreadfully behind with every ones shenanigans.
Have you all been having fun?

Annie xx