Into the Forbidden City and Peking Ducks

Our next adventure in Beijing was dedicated to going to the Forbidden City and the Temple of Heaven. However, due to the large number of photos I took, I've decided to split the posts into two so you guys won't be overwhelmed ( or be here forever while the pictures load). But I will say that today's post will be very photo heavy.

The Forbidden City, if you didn't know was the home of the Chinese emporer for the last 500 years (spanning the Ming and Qing Dynasty). I believe it is one of the largest wooden palaces in the world and only a small part of it is open to the public. 

We started the day with another Beijing specialty, almost a salty crepe with meat and vegetables. So fresh, so good ^^.

Yum!

The weather was starting to cooperate and you could almost see the blue sky!

This photo makes it seem like the place is empty...it's not

Each of the halls inside have a plaque stating the name of the hall and elaborately decorated roofs and support beams.

Smile!

They had water spouts in the shape of dragons to prevent flooding when it rained.

The halls ranged from places the Emperor conducted his affairs with his ministers, to his office to places he hung out. You can't go in but you can try and look from the outside to get an idea of how it looked back then.

Love the throne chair!

There were these giant urns outside that had gold scratch marks on them. According to Chrissy's relative, that was leftover from when the English and French raided the palace and evidence of their attempt to scratch off all the gold.

They did a pretty good job with getting most of it off

The entrance to each of the halls had a middle section that was sectioned off since that used to be exclusively used by the Emperor.

Dragons everywhere

The palace grounds were so large that sometimes you feel like you're just walking around and around in a circle.

Found a few stragglers outside

On our way out we went to Jinshan Hill, one of the highest points within Beijing. The view of the Forbidden City was breathtaking.

This was another nice view of the city from the outside. Interesting how the moat has frozen over.

At night, we tried another famous Beijing dish, the Peking duck! I've tried this dish many times before in Toronto but of  course, I had to try it again in Beijing. The skin was much more crispy and the duck meat was really tender. The best part was that the duck didn't feel fatty at all.

I'm so hungry

Overall, I loved visiting the Forbidden City and I'm glad I had the chance to do so.

Thanks for reading everyone!