This morning I went to the Lama Temple with Caroline where we saw the 25 meter (85-foot) Maitreya Buddha carved from a single white sandalwood tree.
Outside, people lit incense.
Some prayed in style.
We left
down a shaded street fed by tributary hutong alleyways.
At the end of the road we reached an unusually beautiful intersection. People on the sidewalk were going about their business in the sunshine.
Who could resist this life-size expression of married bliss? We walked in and had a look at their sample wedding albums.
We took the metro to meet Hedi for lunch in Xizhimen, the district where he lived for 4 days when he first arrived in China.
After lunch, we spent a leisurely afternoon at the summer palace. The lake was frozen, and despite signs warning against it, everyone was playing on the ice.
There were many pretty bridges to look at.
We climbed the hill at the end of the lake and checked out the ex-emperor's summer residence. I joined the throng of tourists taking snapshots of the view below.
I guess I looked as exotic to them as they did to me!
There were some nice stained glass windows along a covered section of the walkway bordering the lake.
The sun set.
And we went home.
We had dinner with my cousin Veroniqe. She has been living in Beijing for many years doing image recognition research. She took us to a cozy bookstore where we had real coffee (a rarity in China -- everyone drinks tea).
It's my last day in Beijing. I'm heading off to Seoul tomorrow. Thanks so much for everything, Caro!
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