Day 2 in Beijing (2/4)
So in September 2024 I went to China to attend a conference. Before going to Changchun, where the conference took place, I spent four days in Beijing. This is my account of those 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 on the 11th floor has some advantages, and that is the view. I was lucky with the weather, but first things first: breakfast. I have never seen so many things to eat. Soups, tofu, salads, sausages, eggs of all kinds and much, much more. Although I was sure it was all delicious, my stomach couldn’t handle all that food at that time. So I decided to have some toast and a green melon jelly. I added some coffee and juice and began to wake up.
The Great Wall of China
I had planned a long trip to the Great Wall of China for that day. It had always been on my bucket list and I took the opportunity. I bought 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 got on and started the 1.5 hour journey to the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall. The guide gave us some information about the wall and collected the entrance fee, which was not included in the tour ticket.
We then made a strange stop, which our guide said was required by the Chinese government. We were led through an alley full of souvenir shops with dubious prices. But we made it and got back on our bus, which took us the last stretch to the wall. We then had to decide whether to enter on 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 any sensible person, took the cable car up. The Great Wall is indeed very, very impressive. It is an incredibly large 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 totally exhausted. It goes up and down and up again. So many steps, so many towers! But the view! The structure! The atmosphere! You just have to do it. I decided to leave the east side of the wall by going down a slide! Yes, you heard right, there is a slide and it is super fun. I ended up visiting the west side and walking around a bit, but I didn’t have the energy to go very far. After a group lunch organised by the tour guide, we finally went back to Beijing.
Briefly back in Germany
Then I went back to Germany for two hours. Yes, but only to go to a party at the German embassy that I had been invited to. I met an old friend from my student days who works in Beijing and we went to see all the Germans in town. There were quite a few and everyone was there. The food was amazing, but as it was my second day in China, I couldn’t really enjoy German food again. After a few beers and long conversations we finally headed back. It was a very, very long day and seeing the Great Wall was something I had always wanted to do.
Spending my second day in Beijing, I have to say that a certain familiarity set in. I already knew where I was and where to go. I knew the street I lived on and all the shops. It is quite strange how quickly you become familiar with a new city. This is especially interesting for a city as different as Beijing. Looking forward to the next day, I fell asleep quickly.
