The Great Wall of China

And now, for the piece de resistance!  The gods smiled upon us and washed away the smog and gave us four beautiful, clear days in Beijing.  The first day was the morning of our planned day at the Great Wall.      

We started the day with so much excitement because we knew we were in for a gorgeous day on the Wall.

I had assumed that there would be meandering pathways, but every single step is an actual step that can vary from a few inches to about a foot in height.  

We dreamed it and we made it!!

Papa Louie keeping the adventures coming.  He said he never thought he would actually walk on the Great Wall of China.

Quite a thrill.

This is Kyle catching up to Mary and me after dropping Dad off at a landing where he could hang out while we hiked.  It shows how steep the wall can get.

Mary wanted to venture off on the unfinished parts of the wall.  So we climbed through this port hole.  We went as far as we could before the overgrowth took over.  It was a little scary looking down the side of the pathway--quite a drop down!

Kyle and Mary LOVE the Great Wall. :)

And on it goes . . . . 

The other real highlight of our trip was just spending time with Kyle and Mary in their home and in their environment.  I loved watching them speak the language so fluently, negotiating prices with the sales people, engaging with people wherever we went.  They are truly in their element.   I enjoyed their hospitality, watching Charles Dickens' "Our Mutual Friend" (a great 6 hour movie),  great conversations with dad about his life growing up and his experiences in WWII.  We loved going to their branch that was so thriving and feeling the camaraderie and spirit of the gospel on the other side of the world.  The Chinese people were so darling and engaging.  Dad really felt a connection to them and was truly sad to leave.