Making Each Day Count

After a packed morning at the Summer Palace and the Palace Museum, we were already feeling the miles walked in our legs. We got back in the car, and our guide, Leo drove us past Tiananmen Square for a quick look.

Even from the road, it’s hard to miss how massive Tiananmen Square is. It is one of the largest public squares in the world and an important site in modern Chinese history, known for events like the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949. Seeing it in person, even briefly, gave a better sense of its scale and significance.

From there, we headed to the Temple of Heaven, which is about 5 kilometers away. The drive usually takes around 15 to 20 minutes, depending on traffic, so it was a short and easy ride.

The Temple of Heaven felt more relaxed compared to our earlier stops. It was built during the Ming Dynasty and was used by emperors to pray for good harvests. The layout and design reflect that purpose, especially the circular structures that symbolize heaven.

It was pretty crowded when we visited, but the lines moved quickly so it didn’t feel too overwhelming. We spent about an hour walking around the complex, which felt like a good amount of time to see the main areas without rushing.

At one point, I bought a popsicle shaped like one of the temple buildings, which was a fun little break in the middle of all the walking.

We passed through the tree-lined gardens and as usual, hearing birds chirping and seeing them fly about added to the place’s charm.

After about an hour of exploring the Temple of Heaven’s grounds we walked back to the parking lot to meet Leo and we drove back to the hotel.

For dinner, we kept things simple and walked to a nearby restaurant for a bowl of hot noodle soup. It was exactly what we needed after a long day on our feet.

We had planned to head back out and see Beijing at night, but after a full day of walking, we called it early and went straight to bed.

Join me in the next blog as we make the most of our final day in Beijing.