FORBIDDEN CITY AND DUCK!

We continue our first day with an extensive tour of the "Forbidden City" This is an important site as  it served as the seat of power for 5 centuries of Chinese dynasties. It housed  34 successive emperors and wasforbidden for  commoners to even enter.  It is huge and just kept going and going from one restored building to another. Lots of jewlery and art to see. I wore light hiking shoes and glad of it...very uneven walking and lots of it.  It was hot but my feet survived just fine.

That night we ventured to a traditional Peking Duck dinner, served "family style" on the big round lazy susans that are apart of almost all the Chinese Resturants here.  The chef brought in two ducks freshly cooked and carved them while still warm.  We wraped the small pieces in the thin Chinese pancakes and added the plum sauce and condiments and ate them like a taco.  There was a ton of other food with this meal, but the Peking Duck was my favorite.

Wine was served...tiny glasses...only one kind, a red something, but wine isn't real big with the traditional Chinese and it is very expensive.  I had a mediocre glass of white in the hotel resturant last night...15$. Yep!