Saturday was devoted to touring the Tienanmen Square, The Forbidden City and the Great Wall. The first stop was the Square. It is the largest square in the world and there were thousands of people there. The square is surrounded by many official government buildings and has a building that serves as a tomb for the former Chairman Mao. There are many statues and many places to explore. We rode by tour bus with the other 5 families, altogether 23 people and our guide, Michael. He explained what each of the buildings is used for and told us about the history of the square. Many older people were there and Michael explained that they wanted to come and see the place that for most, they could not visit in their lifetime. One very nice family stopped and they had their mother in a wheel chair who they tried to explain to us was either 90 or 100. She was in tears of joy at being able to see the square with her own eyes and asked to take a picture with Olivia. She called Olivia "very lovely" and stood up from her wheel chair to hug her. It was very touching to see her so happy and thankful for the chance to be there. It was very humbling to see and reminds us of just how fortunate we are to live in a country blessed with so much and so many freedoms. We are so thankful for all that we have. Joy |
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