Carole Terwilliger Meyers's Blog, page 45

Sights to See: Great Wall, Beijing, China

Great Wall   1½ hour from town.  Visible by the naked eye from outer space, this UNESCO World Heritage Site snakes through the hills like the tail of a dragon for more than 4,000 miles.  The goal when construction began in 2021 B.C. was to keep out nomadic peoples.  In 1985, an Englishman completed walking the wall after 1½ years.

Today the reality is that it is a steep climb amid crowds of other tourists from all over the world.  Steps are uneven and often high, sometimes requiring you to pull yourself up and to hold on tight going down.

Some steps are simply wood rails nailed across the stone base to allow your shoes to grip.  

Railings do help, but they vary in height and availability.  Wear unloved pants or jeans so that you can bump your way down where necessary.  Rain adds slippery to the mix.  A friendly Chinese lady--who seemed to enjoy seeing me and with whom I tried to carry on a conversation--warned me to take it slow.  So on a gloriously clear and mild day, 

I stopped climbing a steep incline before my husband did and just sat at the side on one of the steps and enjoyed some prime people watching.  The Japanese were particularly watch-worthy—many wore outrageous outfits for the venue—think high heels, tulle, and sequins.  Later, my husband told me that what looked to be the top wasn’t; yet more climbing was ahead with no end in sight.  He never reached a leveling off.  Visitors can gain entry to the wall in 14 spots, and the wall can be experienced in other ways, like camping out in a watch tower overnight or even running a marathon. 






Great Wall sections/gates:
Who knew?  Near Beijing, there are five places to access the Great Wall.  Each offers an experience that is different in degree of difficulty.  Several offer a cable car lift.  Avoid the weekends!  Three of the most well-known passes are:
Badaling Pass   70 km/45 miles NW of Beijing.  This steep section is very popular and the most crowded because it is safer and easy to get to.  It is the one my own group visited.  The section of the wall here is the most well-preserved and close to original condition.  Other sections of the wall are not as well preserved, or have even crumbled out of existence.  Bedaling stretches for 7.5 miles, though only about 4,000 yards of it are open to the public.  A long, steep stairway leads up to the wall.  I had been told to take the steeper left stairs (north) instead of those on the right (south) because it is more scenic.  Some accounts say this section has a cable car, but I didn’t see it. 
Juyongguan Pass   60 km/37 miles from Beijing.  Another popular gate, the wall here has a handrail.  Progression up the stairs can be slow, depending on who is in front of you.  A fear of heights can slow people down.  Faster walkers, who don’t mind steepness will push on around.  Going isn’t so bad, though it is slow due to the crowds.  But coming down can be scary. 
Mutianyu Pass   80 km/50 miles from Beijing.  Though a bit farther away, this pass offers a cable car ride up and down, plus the option of sliding back down on a toboggan ride.  This gate is especially recommended for children and those with mobility difficulties.  You can take the cable car up to Fortress number 14, walk to number 6, and then take the cable car or slide down on a toboggan from there. 

More things to do in Beijing.

More things to do in China.  

Taking an organized tour to China.  

More China items. 

Travel articles to inspire and help you plan some spectacular local and foreign getaways.

images ©2015 Carole Terwilliger Meyers 

Sights to See: Forbidden City, Beijing, China

Forbidden City   Located across the road from Tiananmen Square, this immense UNESCO World Heritage Site has many an inner and outer courtyards.  It measures 172 acres--as big as 200 soccer fields.  If you are without a guide, visit in early in the morning and get an audio headset.  The largest palace enclosure in China, it was closed off to the public for the 500 years that it was home to 24 emperors.  In 1911, the last emperor left and the compound was opened to the people.  Its new name was Palace City.  (The Academy Award-winning movie “The Last Emperor” was filmed here and worth a watch.)  Buildings are many and ornate.  Though to my disappointment I missed seeing it, a small gallery holds the Clock Museum.  With more than 1,000 Chinese- and foreign-made pieces, it is one of the world’s largest collections of mechanical timepieces from the 18th and 19th centuries.



More things to do in Beijing.

More things to do in China.  


gate tower entrance to Forbidden City

interior courtyard at Forbidden City
garden at Forbidden City
Taking an organized tour to China.  

More China items. 

Travel articles to inspire and help you plan some spectacular local and foreign getaways.

images ©2015 Carole Terwilliger Meyers 

Sights to See: Beijing, China

Beijing is the gigantic capitol city of China.  The original city wall is long gone, replaced by six ring roads, and the moat has become a river.  The high-rise buildings go on and on and on. 

 Nowadays almost everyone lives in high-rises, too. 
 
Traffic is a crazy, yet surprisingly organized, mash of cars, tuk-tuks, and bicycles.


I found it surprising that the streets are clean and litter-free.  Locals say that happened when the Olympics came to town.  Individuals and teams of human street-sweepers as well as street-cleaner vehicles operate regularly.

I did not see one cat or dog. 


The best weather is in May and June, with comfortable weather in April, when I visited.  Because the city is near the province of Inner Mongolia and the Gobi Desert, sand storms do occur.  We did experience a short one.  People want to be inside when that happens and to have a face mask. 



More things to do in Beijing.

More things to do in China. 

Taking an organized tour to China. 

Travel articles to inspire and help you plan some spectacular local and foreign getaways. 

images ©2015 Carole Terwilliger Meyers 
 

Sights to See: China

I am generally an independent traveler.  I rarely travel with groups except when they include other professional travel writers.  For my 9-day Triangle Tour of China with Palace Travel, the group consisted of 11 people—5 couples and 1 couple with a teenager.  It was a perfect size.

my group in front of gate to Forbidden City in Beijing
     What I really liked about the tour
●the itinerary.  It hit the main UNESCO sites in just 9 days, and ran from a Saturday to a Sunday so that only 1 week of time needed to be taken off work.  It would have been nice to visit more areas and stay longer—there are other tours for that--but the extra time wasn’t an option for me then.
●the tour bus.  I would call it a mini-bus.  It had plenty of room, big windows, and was easy in and out.  I really dislike smaller vans. 
●the hand-holding.  I know I would not like to visit China my first time on my own.  A tour is a must. 
●the exercise.  I expected a tour of China to be exhausting.  So much is crammed into each day that I would fall exhausted into a deep sleep each night. 
●the price.  I think the price for the air, hotels, admissions, guide, bus, and most meals is a real bargain. 

     Advantages to taking a tour
●The must-see tourist attractions are seen efficiently and with minimal hassle.  No waiting for buses, no standing in line for tickets, no trying to figure things out in a foreign language.  Someone else does all the grunt work.
●Hotels are all pre-selected and feature comforting amenities.  I adored the buffet breakfasts, which included plenty of fresh fruit as well as dim sum and other local delicacies but also American bacon-and-eggs and made-to-order omelette options. 
●A guide/”local friend” shows you around, teaches you how to bargain, and reminds you to be careful of pickpockets.  The guide fills you in on history and traditions and provides insight into their country.  Ours answered questions that allowed us a glimpse into their daily life.  Tour guides must get relicensed each year and so do keep up on changes and provide current information.

Our hard-working guides made our trip memorable:

well-spoken and knowledgeable Mark, at Forbidden City in Beijing
techie and hip Henry, at The Bund in Shanghai
stand-up comedian and entertainer Jackie, at the Terracotta Warriors in Xi’an
I will be blogging about this China trip over the next few months.  Please join me as I recall the adventure.  We will begin in Beijing. 

Travel articles to inspire and help you plan some spectacular local and foreign getaways. 

images ©2015 Carole Terwilliger Meyers  

Sights to See: Beatrix Potter Gallery, Hawkshead, Lake District, England

Beatrix Potter Gallery  Red Lion Square, Hawkshead, 015394-36355.  An old cottage with low door openings—mind your head—and ancient bowed book shelves, this 17th-century building once held the legal offices of her husband, William Heelis, whom she married when she was 47.  Beatrix Potter was first and foremost an artist; for her, writing was secondary.  This becomes more apparent as you study her original sketches and watercolor illustrations displayed here.  When I asked fellow visitor Rebecca Williams, age 9, “Which is your favorite Beatrix Potter story?”, she replied, “That’s hard.  There’s lots of very nice books she wrote.  I quite liked Hilltop farm because the guide gave you a book and you could see the item in the book.”  Her sister, Lauren Williams, age 11, replied, “Probably Tom Kitten.  It’s very funny because of the ducks.  He gives his clothes away to the ducks.”  Can’t you just hear their charming British accent?  A free activity sheet keeps kids busy looking for items in the gallery.  Operated by The National Trust.


More things to do in England. 

Some travel articles to inspire and help you plan spectacular getaways.

images ©2015 Carole Terwilliger Meyers 

Travel Articles: Hike to Heidi's Hut, Maienfeld, Switzerland

When I was just a wee one, my mom read "Heidi" to me.  That ritual we shared is one of my fondest childhood memories, and this beloved story will comfort me forever.

You can imagine my excitement when I heard that Heidi's hut actually exists in Maienfeld, Switzerland.  I made it there, finally, after my own children were grown.  More . . .


More travel articles to inspire you and help you plan some spectacular getaways.

image ©2015 Carole Terwilliger Meyers
 

Things to Do: Feast of San Gennaro, NYC

Feast of San Gennaro   September 10-20, 2015 (held annually on the last two weeks of September).  Along Mulberry Street, between Canal and Houston streets.  Free.  This annual extravaganza celebrates the patron saint of Naples.  Festivities include two parades featuring the Statue of San Gennaro; one is held on the Official Feast Day.  Said to be the oldest and largest such festival celebrating the Feast of San Gennaro, it began in 1926 as a one-day religious celebration and now attracts more than 3 million people.  I believe it because when I attended it was body to body tight on the street.  My daughter once lived in Little Italy and was not fond of this festival because it was so hard for here to come and go from her apartment during these weeks.  Sure enough, when we passed her old residence the stoop was in use as seating.  I first heard about this festival from West Coast friends who grew up in the area and returned every year to attend.  It took me a long time to finally get there, and when I did my attendance was by pure chance.  I was in town, walking around with my daughter, and we came upon it.  What a lucky happenstance!  Food is the main attraction, and the sausage sandwich--it is impossible to miss the aroma and sound of sizzling sausages, onions, and green peppers--is a must.  And this is where I had my first, and last, fried Oreo.  A word of advice--leave the Cannoli Eating Contest to the pros.  Many celebrants opt to sit down in one of the open-air Italian restaurants and really feast--perhaps with a nice glass of wine--while they watch the crowd pass by.  Live entertainment is also part of the mix.   You might find that it all looks familiar.  That might be because this festival has been featured in numerous TV programs and also in “The Godfather Part II” and “The Godfather Part III.”





More things to do in NYC. 
 
More travel articles to inspire you and help you plan some spectacular getaways.

images ©2015 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

Travel Articles: Kura Hulanda Museum and Hotel, Curacao

Located just off the northern coast of Venezuela, Curaçao (pronounced “kur-ah-sow”) is part of the ABC Islands chain—Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao--which in turn is part of the Netherlands.  Curaçao is probably best known for its namesake Valencia orange liquour that comes in a rainbow of colors, for its tropical-colored Amsterdam-style architecture, and for its excellent dive sites.  But this remote, arid island offers much more, including a colorful floating market, plenty of beaches, and a unique “tumba” music.

Curaçao also has a reputation for racial and religious tolerance.  Its population is an eclectic mix of forty different nationalities, many of whom can be seen chatting on their cell phones while walking across the swinging Queen Emma pontoon bridge in to Willemstad--the island’s capital and a UNESCO-designated World Heritage Site.

Across the harbor from Willemstad is the magnificent Kura Hulanda complex, consisting of a five-star hotel and a unique museum dedicated to telling the story of the island’s slave trade.  More . . .


More travel articles to inspire you and help you plan some spectacular getaways.

image ©2015 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

Travel Articles: Ice Hotel in Quebec, Canada

Spend a night at the Ice Hotel and a day at Carnaval de Quebec
     First constructed in 2001, Canada’s Ice Hotel is rebuilt every winter using 500 tons of ice and 15,000 tons of snow.  Though there are “snow” hotels in Finland and Norway, they use wood or metal in their construction.  Only this one in Quebec and another in Jukkasjarvi, Sweden, are true “ice hotels” made entirely of ice and snow. More . . .

More travel articles to inspire you and help you plan some spectacular getaways.

image ©2015 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

Travel Articles: Ojai, California

Located off Highway 101 just 30 miles south of Santa Barbara and 14 miles inland from the ocean, the idyllic Ojai valley has attracted visitors since the Chumash Indians discovered it 8,000 years ago.  (The Chumash named it “ojai,” or “nest,” because of the way the mountains encircle the elongated east-west valley.  It’s pronounced “Oh, hi.”)  In 1937, Frank Capra brought Hollywood to this real-life Shangri-la to film "Lost Horizon", and John Lennon and Yoko Ono are rumored to have hidden out here in the early 1970s.  If that’s not testimonial enough for you, too, to relax and spend some quality time together with your hunny here, read on.

More travel articles to inspire you and help you plan some spectacular getaways.

image ©2015 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

Bart's Books in Ojai, California