Dad and I spent a week together in Beijing before I returned to the States.
On one of those days we went to the park.
Not just any park but the Temple of Heaven. There was a group of women twirling ribbon near the front gate. 
One of the prettiest activities that happens at the park.
Not only are there treats for your eyes but also your ears. These guys are playing a classical Chinese instrument called the Er Hu.
The Chinese love exercising and including in that is dancing. This guy is working his castanets.
Also in the park are flower arrangements with Olympic sports on them. This is me diving...
... and here is Dad weight lifting!
After fun in the park we looked around the historic temple buildings.
Olympic volunteers are everywhere even after the games are over to continue helping with the massive in flux of tourists.
The big red doors are still one of my favorite things. 
Temple of Heaven is still my favorite place and I think Dad liked it a lot too. 
Because the Olympics had just happened and because the Paraolympics were on their way, we just happened to stumble upon flags of all the participating countries! They were just sitting behind a building so we asked a guard if he would take our picture with them.
First Dad and I unfurled the American flag and then I held up the Canadian flag!
Around the temple of good harvest people were preparing a stage for receiving the paraolympic torch.
It was a great time to be there. We got to see the usual beautiful architecture and some new things too.
Here I am kissing a dragon.
Dad is hanging out with the dragons too.
If you look close, Dad is standing in the middle.
Father daughter door picture.
Another one of my favorite places is here at Hou Hai where there are lots of cool shops down the narrow alley ways. 
That is where Dad and I road a rickshaw around. 
Peek-A-Boo!
Dad couldn't come all that way and not see the Great Wall.
It was a lot of climbing and wasn't the clearest day, but it was fun.
I think it was Dad's favorite thing to see in China.
We had the privilege of being virtually alone up there. Not too much of a crowd that day. 
Here is dad beside the wall on the mountain.
We climbed up and down the wall towers.
You could get some good views from up top.
The classic shot of Dad and the Wall.
Pretending to climb over.
Inside a tower.
Dad looking up out a sky light in one of the towers.
We had a lot of fun touring the wall, even if it was my 5th time!
Continuing our tour of Beijing, we find this communist statue...
... in front of Chairman Mao's Mausoleum. Mao (the leader of China's Culture Revolution and face of Communism) is preserved and on display inside. His mausoleum sits in the middle of Tian'anmen Square.
At the south end of the square is Qian Men- Front Gate.
An old piece of wall with the gate still in tact is there.
Front Gate is on one side of the square and the Forbidden City is on the other side.
Because of the Games there were huge flower sculptures all over the square with Olympic figures.
Here is Dad and I in front of the entrance to the Forbidden City which is also called Tian'anmen Gate. That means Gate of Heavenly Peace. That is Mao's face hanging on the front.
Around the corner you can find a large shopping district.
This rickshaw wasn't as fast as the one that road us around Hou Hai!
In the shopping district you will find several Olympic stores. This one is the largest. This picture was taken the day after the closing ceremonies. Man it was crowded!
Outside the store I found a few people to trade pins with. Yep, my little red head in a sea of black!
An alley way off to the side takes you from the modern back to the traditional and you can find all kinds of strange food to eat. Behind Dad are silk worms, liver, strange meats, scorpions, seahorse, etc. But we stuck with my favorite and just ate grapes coated in sugar on a stick. We aren't that adventurous!
