The last few days of our trip were spent in Beijing, and while we were there we made sure to see the Great Wall of China. Before actually visiting it I was completely aware of how long it was, but I guess I didn't really understand what that meant until I saw it with my own eyes. As I stood on the Great Wall and looked both directions only to see the structure stretch as far as I could see, I gained a whole new appreciation for the tremendous amount of work it must have taken to build.

I was also greatly surprised at how steep much of the path was. As you can see in a few of the photos, it really felt more like we were "climbing" the Great Wall, rather than "walking" it. And it wasn't an easy climb, considering each step was a different height and length.

After spending a few hours climbing, walking, gazing, and photo-ing, the fun was not over because the descent from the Wall had a surprise. Instead of walking down a long row of steps to the parking lot, we rode a little chute (last photo) all the down from the top. It was fast and fun, and very convenient since I didn't know if my legs could take any more steps!