Friday, June 24, 2011

BEIJING Temples

Blue skies and pleasant weather blessed Beijing today. And we were blessed with Temple visits North and South - Temple of Heaven (1420), Lama Temple (1744) and Confucius Temple (1302). I've never seen such exquisite or elaborate shrines as these. Temple of Heaven noted for its expansive grounds and beautiful park-like gardens; Lama for its golden-glittery buddhas (one standing upright and a Guinness record-holder); and Confucius for its library of original stone tablets. 

Rather than feeling contemplative after all the incense and Buddha worship, I am plum tuckered out from miles of walking. We continued the trend of meandering off course and creating an unexpected interlude. Our detour took us through winding Hutong lanes that surprisingly went from ladies selling vegetables out their front windows to shabby chic storefronts punctuated with American Cafes. We chose Vineyard Cafe, right across from the Confucius International Hostel. I have no idea how we got there and thankfully as we left our English speaking waitress put us back on course by pointing us in the direction of the Lama Temple.

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