The Great Wall of China

No one said anything about a slide!

or a ski lift!

civilized sightseeing!

A girl I met at the hostel who just finished teaching in Hong Kong for a year

An adorable french family celebrating the girl in pink's birthday- even had a cake

I saw these big nests all over Beijing

part of the tour package was lunch afterwards- very good!

I signed up for a tour of the wall at my hostel and there were 6 of us all together.  Two couples and a British girl who had just done a year teaching in Hong Kong and me.  We went to a pretty touristy part of the wall- but it was still a 2 hour drive from the city and there was a section that hadn't been restored that was closed to tourists.  We also go there pretty early so we got some nice pictures before it was mobbed!  I couldn't believe how perfect the weather was.  We only spent 3 hours on the wall although and it would have been nice to do a long hike.  The ski lift and the toboggan ride down were both a surprise and a treat!  All in all, a great experience!