Beijing Train Station 
From the hotel we went directly to lunch.....
We had soooooo much food. Here is part of our feast....eggplant and mushrooms, a fruit that looked like green olives that were sweet and sour, garlic green beans, and yellow fish. The fish were deep fried in very hot oil so the outside was very crispy. Anny said we could eat the head and tail if we wanted.....I know you will be surprised but I did not eat a single fish head. Call me crazy but I draw the line when it comes to eating something with it's face still attached...
Our final dish were noodles....the last time I was in Beijing we ate these noodles cold.....this time we ate them warm....I like warm much better. The noodles are served without broth and a variety of cold vegetables like beans, onions, and cucumbers.
Dad taking a picture of Tieamen Square
The mid-Atrium festival is September 25th. This festival is the second most important celebration in China. During this festival, moon cakes are exchanged and families and friends get together to celebrate the festival. As part of this festival, Tianamen Square was being decorated with beautiful landscapes. It reminded me of very elaborate displays at a home and garden show. All of the display above was created with plants and rocks.
This is part one of three......you can see that this was still under construction but it represents Rome....
The second display will show the journey of the Olympic torch 
The third one is the Great Wall
On to the Forbidden city.....
Mom and Dad hiking through the Forbidden City....I say hiking because it is a very big place.
The City was painted in very "regal" colors....the Emperor was the only that
could use Gold and Yellow
The royal garden....just as we arrived in the garden it started pouring rain....We took cover in the well house.
As we were waiting for the rain and lightning to subside we watched many tour groups run for cover....it was very entertaining!!!! Anny carries her umbrella with her all the time....if not for rain...she uses it for sun. She walked to the gate and purchased each of us a rain poncho so we would stay dry.
Peking Duck dinner ... poor duck!!!
These are dishes that were served with our duck. Top-left.....we call those "slimy noodle things". Anny said they are made from potato. They were in a vinegar sauce and mixed with cucumber and other cold veggies. This was our least favorite of all the food we ate in Beijing. We also had eggplant with tofu, soup, and of course the toppings for Peking duck.
The next day was "Great Wall Day"
It was still raining on Tuesday.....the ponchos were very useful. To get to the wall you have to walk up a long road and then a stone street and then some stair. We took our time and I was very proud that my parents made it to the top....not an easy task!
still climbing...
Ah....finally we made it to the tram...
Up...up...up....up.... we were happy to be riding
TA DAH!!! We made it.....see the Great Wall to the right....the white line is the wall as it goes across the mountain side for as far as you can see.....
The view in the opposite direction is just as beautiful...
China is a beautiful country
Walking on the wall...
Taking shelter in one of the fortresses....
Looking to the south....or was that the west???
Another view of the "Great Wall".....very impressive
Dad fishing for lunch
The great fisherman!!!! 
I will call this our fish lunch.....The fish (top leftish) was cooked in a wood oven. We also had soup, stir fried potatoes, rice, and eggplant.
Look closely at the utensils.....do I see forks???
After lunch we drove to the Hu Tong.....the old city. Hu Tong means different tribes living together in harmony. Peking was a very big trade area and many different minority groups come to trade their goods and live in this area.
This is my "picture of the week". These two ladies were sitting on the step visiting and watching the people. I loved the shopping cart they had with them.
Enjoying the shops in this area......they are doing a lot of construction in this district in preparation for the Olympics...it was interesting to see the construction process...
Standing on the "gold and silver" river.
Rickshaw ride...
Great wall in the morning......standing by the lake in the afternoon...it has been a full day
The bride and groom
Standing in the court yard 
Free time!!!! I remembered where the Starbucks was located...Yippee!!!
Then we were off to dinner and to see if we could catch a flight to Shanghai this evening. Our flight the next day would put us into Shanghai about the same time as the typhoon...yikes!!!
Our hostess and very cook cook...
Just as we arrived for dinner, Anny had confirmed a flight for us at 9:00pm....If we can make the flight we will get back to Shanghai before the storm hits. All the schools are closed tomorrow and many people were being evacuated from "at risk" areas of Shanghai...
Dinner was "hao chi" (deliouse)....we ate quickly and drove to our hotel to pack.
We raced to the hotel to pack, raced through traffic to get to the airport, and raced to get our tickets and find the gate.....I thought the flight would be very "bummpy" as we got closer to Shanghai but it was very pleasant!!! We arrived at airport around 11:00pm and waited in a very long line for a taxi...Did I say waited in line??? Yes...the taxi line was very organized....the quewing system is working in China. We were very happy to be back before the storm....
The flight we were scheduled to be on was cancelled today...so we would still be in Beijing. The storm has gone around the city....about 155 miles to the west. We are lucky...only a little flooding and some strong winds.
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