Day 2 in Beijing (2/4)
So in September 2024, I made a trip to China to participate in a conference. Before going to Changchun, where the conference took place, I spent four days in Beijing. This is my report of these four days, divided into four parts. This post is day 2 of my way too short trip to Beijing. You can find day 1 here.
Waking up to Beijing on day 2
So after a long, but unfortunately restless sleep, I woke up to Beijing. Being situated at the 11th floor has some benefits and that is the view. I was very lucky with the weather, but first things first: breakfast. I never have seen so many things to eat. Soups, tofu, salads, sausages, eggs in many forms, and much much more. Although I was very sure everything was wonderfully tasty, my stomach couldn’t process that kind of food at this time. I therefore decided for some toast and a green melon jelly. I added some coffee and juice and started to wake up.
The Great Wall of China
For this day, I planned a long trip to the Great Wall of China. This was always on my bucket list and I used the chance I got. I purchased a whole tour through GetYourGuide which was very easy. We met at a certain subway station and the guide was very organised checking everyone’s passport and booking number. After a while a bus arrived, we entered and started a 1,5 hour trip to the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall. The tour guide gave us some information on the wall and collected the money for the entrance that was not included in the tour ticket.
We then made a strange stop, that was – according to the tour guide – required by the Chinese government. We were led through an alley full of souvenir shops with questionable prices. But we managed and re-entered our bus that took us the last part to the wall. We then had to decide to enter the east or west side of the wall. I chose the east side first. There is a way to walk up there, but honestly… no. I, like every sane person as well, took the cable car up. The Great Wall is in fact very very impressive. It is an unbelievably big structure and walking from tower to tower is not as easy as you might think.
After 1,5 hours on the east side of the wall, I was super exhausted. It goes up and down and up again. So many stairs, so many towers! But the view! The structure! The atmosphere! It is simply something one has to do. I decided to leave the east side of the wall by going down a slide! Yes you heard right, there is a slide going down and it is super fun. I finally also visited the west side and walked around a bit, but I hadn’t had the energy to really go far. After a joined lunch organised by the tour guide, we finally went back to Beijing.
Briefly back in Germany
Then I did go back to Germany for two hours. Yeah right, but only by going to a party in the German embassy that I was invited to. I met an old friend from my time as a student who is working in Beijing and we had a look at all the Germans in the town. There were quite a lot and everyone was right there. The food was amazing, but being on my second day in China, I couldn’t quite enjoy German food again. After a couple of beers and long talks, we finally head back. It was a very very long day and seeing the Great Wall was something I always wanted to do.
Spending my second day in Beijing, I have to say a certain kind of familiarity kicked in. I already knew where I was and where to go. I knew the street I was living in and all the shops. It is quite strange how quickly one familiarizes with a new city. This is especially interesting for such a different city that is Beijing. Looking forward to the next day, I quickly fell asleep.
