After our day walking through the Forbidden City, we were ready for a day at a relaxed pace. Larry and I had the breakfast buffet again in our hotel. Part of me thought I should at least try a traditional Chinese breakfast (although I’m not sure what that would be). But I knew I needed a good breakfast with the amount of walking we were doing. When I’m hungry I still think about that breakfast buffet.
We walked down the street our hotel was on to an area that had also been occupied by hutongs when Wyatt was in Beijing in 2007. Now the hutongs were gone, and stores reminiscent of outlet stores in the U.S. were in their place. These shops were full of tourists. (Most of the tourists we saw in Beijing were Asian, not many Westerners.) As we walked further, we found more outlet-store-looking new construction that wasn't yet complete. It was depressing to see that this is what is replacing the hutongs. We eventually found our way back hotel and made our arrangements to see The Great Wall the next day.
I wanted to go back to Alice’s Tea House. Wyatt went off to do his own thing, so Larry went with me to Alice’s. When we arrived, Alice asked if we’d like to have tea with her. We sat at the table in her shop, and Alice served us many kinds of tea, explaining what each one was made of and the benefits of each. Each of the teas had a unique taste. My favorite also had pieces of fruit in it.
For me, Alice’s Tea House is one of the highlights of our trip. I enjoyed talking to her; she is wonderfully warm and hospitable.
The rest of the day we spent (surprise!) walking through more hutongs and finding new places to eat. The best meals we had on this entire trip were in small, probably family-owned cafes. My favorite dish was the dumplings and any of the vegetable dishes.
We did go out for one meal that was not at a small restaurant - Peking Duck at the Bei Jing Quan Ju De He Ping Men Roast Duck Restaurant. It was our one splurge on this trip, and it was delicious!
Our adventure for the next day -- The Great Wall!
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