Hey there! Just got back from dinner with the boys. I can now truthfully say I have had Peking duck! The real McCoy! Apparently the restaurant we went to was the no 1 Peking duck restaurant in Beijing. It was so different to the food we have been having, so I really enjoyed it. The chef carved the freshly roasted duck in front of us and it was very tender.
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| Dinner at the Peking Duck restaurant |
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| Anyone for roasted duck? |
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We spent the day at Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City and then we had lunch with the boys at a buffet style restaurant, which was arguably the worst meal we've had so far. Most of us only had the bare minimum to sustain us and thankfully the Peking duck restaurant made up for the food this afternoon.
When we all arrived at the square together, the boys all in their ACTAS uniforms looked very smart and generated a lot of interest. Had a few men and many young girls wanting their photo taken with them. :-) We parents even had our 1 min in the limelight when a cute old Chinese couple came up and wanted their photos taken with us oldies! Similar to what happened to us in India. Don't think they'd seen gwailo before! Was very funny. :-)
The Forbidden City is enormous! It really is a small "city" which seemed to go on forever, so the walk from one end to the other was very long. Unfortunately, apart from the colourful buildings it was very stark and cold looking. All concrete paving and no greenery at all. Except in the small ‘garden' which had a few trees and shrubs, but no grass. We were told that at the emperor was so paranoid that one of his enemies or relatives would try to assassinate him that here are no trees and the paving all through the city was 15 brick layers thick to stop anyone from digging a tunnel under the wall and up into the city!
Has been another long and tiring day. The boys had had enough by the time we got to the 3rd section along and we still had at least 5 more to go after that!
Grant was happy with his hatrick this morning; thought he played very well. Hope you'll get to see the videos soon. He was in good spirits during the walk, came up and chatted at times and even had a couple of photos taken with your mum and I, so was very nice. ;-)
OK, well your mum went to bed about an hour ago, and I'm fading fast lying here. Days are long and full and seriously feels like we've been here for weeks already. Another early start in the morning, so best get some shut eye. Love you so much and miss you. Would so love you to be here! Been amazing already and yes we'll have to come back one day for you. Can't believe I'm saying that! :->) given I wasn't really that keen to come here in the first place! :-)
Tiananmen Square was nothing to look at, a large paved area behind a gate. The only place of note was the totally unmarked, but recognisable, spot on the road where “tank man” the unknown Chinese protester, stopped a column of tanks back in 1989. Nothing to see of course, but the moment took me a bit and I got goose bumps.
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| Star treatment! |
When we all arrived at the square together, the boys all in their ACTAS uniforms looked very smart and generated a lot of interest. Had a few men and many young girls wanting their photo taken with them. :-) We parents even had our 1 min in the limelight when a cute old Chinese couple came up and wanted their photos taken with us oldies! Similar to what happened to us in India. Don't think they'd seen gwailo before! Was very funny. :-)
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| The soccer lion! |
Has been another long and tiring day. The boys had had enough by the time we got to the 3rd section along and we still had at least 5 more to go after that!
Grant was happy with his hatrick this morning; thought he played very well. Hope you'll get to see the videos soon. He was in good spirits during the walk, came up and chatted at times and even had a couple of photos taken with your mum and I, so was very nice. ;-)
OK, well your mum went to bed about an hour ago, and I'm fading fast lying here. Days are long and full and seriously feels like we've been here for weeks already. Another early start in the morning, so best get some shut eye. Love you so much and miss you. Would so love you to be here! Been amazing already and yes we'll have to come back one day for you. Can't believe I'm saying that! :->) given I wasn't really that keen to come here in the first place! :-)
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