Beijing in November

When I saw the kids fall break was the second week of November, I decided it would be the perfect time to head to the capital and do the Wall as a family. We, of course, have made several trips to the Great Wall of China over our years in the Middle Kingdom, but only twice before as a family unit... first in April 2006, when Bei Bei was nearly one, and then later than summer with Mr. Johnson's folks, in July and @ the height of summer traffic.

We've made various other trips, to various sections, whenever family members come to visit. Mr. Johnson once made the trip in the fall, and the colours were so breathtaking, I thought it would be a perfect time to schedule our own autumnal visit as a family unit.

To our surprise, we arrived in BJ with snow. We hiked a snow covered wall. We traipsed through the Bird's Nest and Water Cube complex skirting piles of the white stuff which had been carefully swept into neat piles. We donned hats, mittens, and full on winter coats to go to the dirt market ... in November!

Not quite what we had in mind for a fall get-away, but a nice long weekend never-the-less!