Today we traveled to the Great Wall. While only about 45 miles from our hotel it took us almost 2 hours to get there. The traffic is just crazy! The cars, buses, and motorcycles weave in and out of traffic. On our way back from the Great Wall, the traffic was so bad people were standing outside of their cars. The patience button definitely needed to be pushed today!

It was all about standing in the queue and when not standing in a queue you were surrounded by people. To get to the wall you take a bus from the main area to the gondola. The queue for the bus was quick, but then we waited 45 minutes for the gondola. The other option would have been to walk close to 5,000 steps up! Once on top it was quite the site to see. This section of the Wall is mainly built of granite and is 23-28 feet high and 13-16 feet wide. It was first built in Northern Qi Dynasty (550-557). In the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), two famous patriotic generals, rebuilt it in order to strengthen its defensive potential when they guarded the strategic pass. It served as the northern protective screen, guarding the capital and imperial mausoleums for generations. This section of the wall has 22 watchtowers and both sides of have parapets to defend against enemies.

Below is the queue we waited in for the gondola.

Some pictures of the wall.

Hanging out in traffic.

I do have to say that the architecture in Beijing is spectacular! Here are a few buildings.

On our way back to the hotel, we drove by the Olympic stadium.