Beijing Sightseeing Day 2

After a very unsatisfactory non-sleep, was really looking forward to the day. Bath, breakfast and into reception to meet our new found friends. ' Ni hao' was as much as I could manage for a greeting but felt proud enough to have learnt a few words in preparation.
I'll never forget how easy it was to catch a taxi in Beijing. Spot it, arm out and in. How cheap they are out there compared to England! This was a visit to the Forbidden City and I still think about all the sights seen on the way. My mind can continually track back and re-live every amazing moment. I am almost sure that this is the trip that will stay with me for the rest of my days. Anyone can be a tourist, but this city is really special along with its people. This is when I regret not being more knowledgeable about the places we visited. So much history to delve into and analyse. You can see from the photo how many tourists there were. It was really difficult, if not almost impossible, to take clear photos, but we just took as many as we could for the experience.
After the Forbidden City we took a cab to Beihai Park. Absolutely gorgeous, even in the winter. I saw the most amazing displays of Chrysanthemums and wanted to take them all home, being an avid gardener.
The next stop was what we had all heard about and were impatient to try - the best Roast Duck restaurant in town. This was wonderful, the service was so good and the food even better. I can still taste it.
Our next venture was spur of the moment, a ride on the pedi-cabs down the hutongs. I couldn't stop laughing - probably nerves as it was quite hair-raising crossing the roads with this driver who pedalled like mad and very cleverly avoided the police. Apparently it is an offence to ride these on the main roads. We didn't care, it was new and exciting. Everything we did on this day was really memorable and even though it was only the second day we felt as though we had already seen such a lot.
We made the decision to book a trip to the Great Wall for the next day, through the hotel as the coach picked up outside.