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China 2015, Day 8: Beijing, Day 3

Great Wall and Olympic Green

Great Wall of China

Today was the day for the highlight of my trip:  my visit to the Great Wall of China.  Coincidentally, this was the second time that the highlight of my trip was also the literal high-point of my trip.  The first was during my 2006 trip to southern Germany when I reached the top of Zugspitze, Germany’s highest mountain.  In the case of the Great Wall, I visited the section at Badaling.  Badaling is a mountainous district in the far northwest of Beijing.  (As I mentioned in a previous post, Beijing is vast.)  I was struck by how easy it was to get there.  The train to Badaling leaves from Beijing North Railway Station and arrives in less than 1 1/2 hours.  (That’s right.  A 1 1/2-hour train ride, and you’re still in Beijing.  Vast.)  Unsurprisingly, the Great Wall of China is a UNESCO world heritage site.

A view from the train of a guard tower on the Great Wall. Beijing, China, Asia.
A view from the train of a guard tower on the Great Wall.

Beijing is mostly located on the northern tip of the extremely large North China Plain.  Most everywhere you go is noticeably flat.  This is why I was startled when I woke up from a nap on the train to find myself in the mountains!  And wait, what’s that masonry structure up there?  Could it be?  Yes!  It’s the Great Wall of China right out my window.  You bet I got my camera out!  I decided that the Great Wall is the ultimate tourist attraction.  It’s so stately and majestic–the world’s largest man-made object.  It’s ancient.  And after making the trek to China, you take a climactic train ride to get there!

Another view of the Great Wall from the train. Great Wall, Beijing, China, Asia.
Another view of the Great Wall from the train.
A blurry shot from the train. (Actually, the Great Wall came out pretty good.) Great Wall, Beijing, China, Asia.
A blurry shot from the train. (Actually, the Great Wall came out pretty good.)
Grand Junction! A final shot from the train. Great Wall, Beijing, China, Asia.
Grand Junction! A final shot from the train.

It had been bitterly cold in central Beijing.  When I arrived at the Great Wall, it was absolutely arctic.  Fortunately I was bundled up appropriately.  But my cheeks quickly turned bright red, and tiny icicles formed in my beard and mustache.  I made my way uphill through the little tourist village at Badaling.  Hotel, snack bars, and plenty gift shops, of course.  As I continued uphill, I walked through a short tunnel.  I didn’t realize until on my way back that the tunnel was actually passing through a stretch of the Great Wall.

I mentioned earlier this was a 2-gasp trip. The 1st gasp came upon setting my eyes on the Hall of Supreme Harmony at the Forbidden City. The 2nd gasp was when I saw this iconic view. Great Wall, Beijing, China, Asia.
I mentioned earlier this was a 2-gasp trip. The 1st gasp came upon setting my eyes on the Hall of Supreme Harmony at the Forbidden City. The 2nd gasp was when I saw this iconic view.

While I was admiring the gasp-inducing view outside the entrance plaza to the Great Wall, a very young military guard approached me.  He wanted to have his buddy take his picture with me.  He looked sort of pissed when I declined.  But keep in mind it was just the day before that I got suckered into buying high-priced pictures of myself (not to mention the several times people attempted to scam me).  So I just wasn’t in the mood for pictures with the locals.  (Fortunately, my attitude about that changed later in my trip.)

The view from the Great Wall, looking south. Great Wall, Beijing, China, Asia.
The view from the Great Wall, looking south.
And the more famous view, looking north. Great Wall, Beijing, China, Asia.
And the more famous view, looking north.
Looking over the snowy mountains from the Great Wall. Beijing hosted the Summer Olympics in 2008. It didn't make sense why Beijing would also be hosting the 2022 Winter Olympics until being up in the chilly mountains. Great Wall, Beijing, China, Asia.
Looking over the snowy mountains from the Great Wall. Beijing hosted the Summer Olympics in 2008. It didn’t make sense why Beijing would also be hosting the 2022 Winter Olympics until being up in the chilly mountains.

Because it was so cold, there weren’t overwhelming crowds at the Great Wall.  But once I got to the steep part, the Great Wall became very slippery.  It was like a giant international game of Twister as strangers (including me) were clinging to each others’ limbs to prevent slipping and falling.  I made my way a bit.  But having fallen and hurt my back pretty bad just the day before, I didn’t want to risk another fall.  The first time I was relieved that I could get up and keep walking.  Who knows what the result would have been if I had fallen a second time?  At one of the guard towers, I took an escape route–a stairway leading down from the Great Wall to the paved path situated alongside it.  So I didn’t spend as much time on the Great Wall as I would have expected to.  But it didn’t matter.  Just being there was an exhilarating experience.  Back in the States, this day was Thanksgiving Day.  I had so much to be thankful for!

A picture I took while standing alongside the Great Wall. You can get a sense of how steep and icy the surface was. Great Wall, Beijing, China, Asia.
A picture I took while standing alongside the Great Wall. You can get a sense of how steep and icy the surface was.

Olympic Green

My original plan was to take a bus (or two) from the Great Wall to the Ming Tombs, where the Ming emperors are buried (except for the first one, whose tomb in Nanjing I didn’t get to).  The bus trip to get there and then the one to return to central Beijing seemed a little complicated.  So I decided to skip the Ming Tombs.  My soul was overflowing with joy from my time at the Great Wall.  And I didn’t want to get lost out in the frigid air somewhere on the outskirts of Beijing.  I had also read very mixed reviews online concerning whether the visit to the Ming Tombs was worthwhile.  So I was perfectly fine with the deviation from schedule.

Skipping the tombs here and the one in Nanjing, no Ming Tombs at all for me on this trip.  Instead I went to the Olympic Green–home of the modern icons of the 2008 Beijing Olympics–which I had been planning on visiting on Day 11.  One thing I can’t tell you is why it’s called the Olympic Green. I mostly saw gray concrete.

Jingjing, this unwashed Olympic mascot, welcomes you to Beijing's Olympic Green! Beijing, China, Asia.
Jingjing, this unwashed Olympic mascot, welcomes you to Beijing’s Olympic Green!
Beijing National Stadium, better known iconically as the "Bird's Nest". Beijing, China, Asia.
Beijing National Stadium, better known iconically as the “Bird’s Nest”.
Here it is again, all fiery, after sunset. Beijing, China, Asia.
Here it is again, all fiery, after sunset.
To me, the real star of the Olympic Green is Beijing National Aquatics Center, better known as the Water Cube. Here it is in beautiful blue. Beijing, China, Asia.
To me, the real star of the Olympic Green is Beijing National Aquatics Center, better known as the Water Cube. Here it is in beautiful blue.
And in the blink of an eye, it's sheathed in ravaging red. Beijing, China, Asia.
And in the blink of an eye, it’s sheathed in ravaging red.
And finally, here it is at its most fabulously flamboyant. Beijing, China, Asia.
And finally, here it is at its most fabulously flamboyant.
On the left, the 5-ringed Olympic Park Observation Tower. On the right, the Ling Long Pagoda, with ever-changing colors. Beijing, China, Asia.
On the left, the 5-ringed Olympic Park Observation Tower. On the right, the Ling Long Pagoda, with ever-changing colors.
The Bird's Nest was feeling the heat from the luminous Water Cube, so it got all flashy and played a car commercial. Sorry, but the Water Cube was the gold medal winner! Beijing, China, Asia.
The Bird’s Nest was feeling the heat from the luminous Water Cube, so it got all flashy and played a car commercial. Sorry, but the Water Cube was the gold medal winner!

WOW!  What a day!

[Factual information is primarily gathered from Wikipedia, so you know it must be true.]

Related posts:

Must-See Beijing The ancient Grand Canal, Hangzhou, China, Asia.China, A Little History, Part 1 China, A Little History, Part 3 China 2015, Day 6: Beijing, Day 1, Part 1

Comments

  1. Sarah Shiba says

    What a great post! The Great Wall of China has been on my bucket list from day 1, but your experience makes me want to go ASAP! Your photos are fabulous and really capture the majestic nature of the wall. Also I am sorry you hurt your back and hope it healed quickly. The Olympic Village also looks much more worth a visit than I thought. Beautiful at night. I am excited to read more on China in your other posts!

    Reply

    • Billy says

      Thanks so much, Sarah! Being at the Wall really was an unbelievable experience. I was a little lucky that I was there in off season so crowds weren’t out of control. Same goes for the Forbidden City.

      The Olympic area was great for taking pictures at night. Otherwise, it felt a little barren and, at least late in the day when I was there, there wasn’t much in the way of snacking. I love snacking! But in the end, definitely great for colorful pictures after dark.

      There is just so much to see in Beijing!

      Reply

    • Billy says

      Hi Ray! Yes, Beijing is vast. When you look at a map of the city or a subway map, you get no idea of the distances between places because the scale is so much bigger than most cities.

      Reply

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