How much time can you spend on a subway?

It’s the middle of the week and I’m so very behind on all my updates.

I had an amazing “Golden Week” without even leaving Beijing. More or less, it can be summed up in a few words: Visits from home, touristing, ice cream, and a rock.

Andrew arrived on Thursday – I’ve never seen anyone quite so disoriented coming off a plane before. It’s funny, because I’m sure that’s what Alicia, Becca, and I looked like in August. Unfortunately, the AQI on arrival day was pretty much the picture of what it would be for the rest of the week. Too bad you couldn’t really see the picture for the smog..

Friday was a school day today, which was pretty helpful because Andrew was able to acclimatize (to the best of his abilities). He also did his best to arrange the mess that was (and still is) my apartment. Very grateful.

On Friday night, we had plans to go for Peking Duck with a crew from the school. A Beijing specialty! As we were getting ready, we had a sparkly little detour that included a lot of smiles and a few tears. Duck was good – but not as impressive as it has been built up to be. Then again, I’m not really a “food person”, so what do I know.

We went home and called everyone, then called it a night. All in all, a pretty impressive first day in Beijing for Andrew Jones.

Saturday we hit the ground running. So much to see, so little time. We got some breakfast at a local restaurant and then hit the aquarium. I’ve got to say, it was the most impressive aquarium I’ve ever seen – it was beautiful inside and they had a ton of different fish and amazing themed rooms. My favourite part were the jellyfish – a whole room of them! Brings me back to summers on the lake with Erin and Joe.

After our aquatic adventures, we went to Houhai with Sam and Danny for some jazzy times. We were fortunate enough to dine with some – interesting – band members. Nothing like some freestyle rap with your sketchy Chinese noodles. Danny was awesome – as usual – and we really enjoyed ourselves. It was a beautiful night in Houhai as well – sadly, the only time we got to the hutongs during Andrew’s visit.

Sunday morning we got up for church and ended up meeting Geetika and Gary, and Geetika’s momma – which worked out nicely. When church was done, we headed off to Starbucks and then to the fruit and veggie market. I wanted Andrew to experience getting all the veggies for the week for under 5$. It’s a happy feeling. Nacho making was next, and then we trekked off to the subway.

The next thing on the agenda was a tour of the Forbidden City. We had booked the tour through Beijing Postcards and it was well worth the 300RMB. It was great to have a guide that was as knowledgeable as Lars – and we were thankful to have someone to guide us through the maze that is the Forbidden City.

We learned a ton on the tour, but we also learned an important lesson once the tour was over – always know where the nearest subway station is! Eventually we found one, and made out way to Line 10 and home – on the way, we stopped for Indian. Typical.

Wake up call on Monday came early, but that was okay – we were heading to the Great Wall of China! Geetika and Gary had organized a van, so a crew of us hopped in around 6:45 and drove to the Mutianyu section of the wall. Sadly, Andrew and I lost the rest of the group almost immediately. Despite that, we enjoyed our trek immensely and met some really fun people from all over the world. I also got mobbed like a superstar would by a Chinese school group. I wish I had some of their pictures because I’m sure they’re hilarious.

Speaking of hilarious, we had a pretty entertaining lunch and van ride back to the school with our group. There’s nothing quite like spending time with good friends.

Andrew’s first “market” experience was on Monday evening. We ventured into Yashow and made a few purchases – it’s pretty overwhelming the first time, but after a couple of small purchases my boy got his bartering under control – success. A few movies came home with us as well – so we spent the evening watching movies and chatting.

On Tuesday morning, we woke up to an intense rainstorm. It was nice to have a lazy morning after the “go, go, go” of the first half of the week. Once the rain slowed down, Andrew and I headed to the Temple of Heaven. It turned into a stunning day – blue skies and warm weather. More gelato was eaten, more trees were hugged – just another day at the Temple of Heaven!

The rest of the afternoon was spent at the Pearl market. More successful bartering and several Christmas presents secured. We were exhausted by the time we headed home but we had to eat – so we went to Blue Frog for the most massive (and amazing) burger ever. It was GIGANTIC and delicious, and Becca wants to go again soon.. noms.

Wednesday morning we woke up and went to Chaoyang Park – Geetika took engagement pictures for us! They turned out so nice, and will be in a following post (along with some of the “rock” stories). We had the best time, though we were a little silly and Geetika said – more than once – okay, could you smile now, please? Oops.

After our photoshoot (we sound so fancy), I took Andrew to the art district. 798 turned out to be one of the highlights of the trip – at least for me. It’s really an amazing place – so many little shops and galleries. We had a great time exploring, and I got myself a love gift out of it. More Christmas presents were also identified. Success!

Thursday turned into one of those days were you’re just plain burnt out. In an attempt to find Grandma’s Kitchen, we ended up on a wild goose chase around Beijing. Several subways and a long taxi drive later, we made it to Grandma’s. Of course, this was too much emotional trauma for me and I cried over my mocha – always at meal times, I don’t understand. Luckily, the french toast perked me up.

We didn’t learn our lesson and had no idea where we were at – but we found the Silk Market! No purchases made this time around, though we successfully made a few vendors really angry because we wanted cheaper prices for their silks. Oops.

There were so many plans to fulfill on Thursday but, in the end, Andrew sensed that I was borderline exhausted and ready for a breakdown – so instead of heading to the hutongs, Summer Palace, or Olympic Park, we went back to Yashow for a “quick” shopping trip. Just kidding, we were there for like, two hours – but we got a lot accomplished! Post cards to use as thank you cards down the line, a painting for our future home, electronics, a really really reallllllly nice jacket, and Andrew got measured for some custom shirts (that I had to go back and pick up on Sunday, good fiancé award, thank you very much).

By the time we got home, we were starving. Time to order Indian! Bonus: Becca and Alicia arrived home from Shanghai. We had a family dinner and shared our weekend stories – and the engagement pictures Geetika took. Camesha and Raquel stopped by to say hi, and then it was finally time for bed.

Sadly, even the best weeks have to come to a close. Friday morning was doom and gloom. I took Andrew to Solana to get him my “pick me up” when I’m bummed out – gelato! Seriously, ice cream fixes everything (especially when it is hazelnut flavoured). Taxi rides and air plane takeoffs followed – definitely bummer.

Amazing, amazing week with my love. It was such a blessing to share part of this adventure with him – so many more adventures to come, and I couldn’t be more excited for all of them!