China Great Wall

A short bus ride from Beijing and we got to see the Great Wall of China.

 This is a gate through the Great Wall that is close to Beijing.  The Great Wall of China is a series of fortificatoins built along an east to west line across the historical northern borders of China.

 This is a view of the Great Wall going up a hill.  Most of the wall followed hilly or mountainous terrain to take advantage of the added height.  The Great Wall was built to protect China against the raids and invasions of the various nomadic groups to the north.

 Jacquelyn and I making the climb up one side from our starting point.  It was mostly steps or ramping up to a look out point.

 View from up high on the other side down towards the gate.  We went in both directions as far as we had time.

 You can see the steps and fortifications.  Imagine having to protect against attacking barbarians.

 Window in one of the lookout towers.

 View from up the other side.

 Some of the inclines were pretty steep.

 View of a couple of fortified towers and the wall in between.

 View of how high the wall was in some places.

 A level section before starting up another set of steps.

 We had a lot of fun exploring the Great Wall.

 We were in a section of the Great Wall that has been restored for tourists.  They used the same type of stone and mortar but it's a lot newer.  Most of the original wall is in ruin now because it is so ancient. It was built over 2,000 years ago.

 Look out tower on top of a peak.

 It was an amazing achievement to build this incredible wall, not just around a city but along the entire northern border of China, spanning nearly 4,000 miles.

This has to be one of the most amazing sights we've ever seen.