We got up early this morning, hopped on the bus, and rode for an hour and a half to one of the greatest wonders of the world, the Great Wall!!!! I still can’t believe that I have walked on the wall. We started getting glimpses of the wall on the top edges of the mountains when we were about a half hour away and goosebumps just erupted all over my arms. The closer we got the more details I could see, the watchtowers, the soldier perches, etc. I also got to use my historian expertise and started answering my peers questions about when the wall was built, why and how. The history behind this expansive monument is what makes this even more surreal to me. I cannot believe that I physically stood where a soldier stood defending his country or where a worker strategically placed a carefully planned stone. For me, the wall creates a time machine, in my mind I can see the images of all the people that have been impacted by that wall over the previous thousands of years. I know, completely sappy, but that is what visiting historical places does for me.
Because I totally wimped out, I decided not to climb the mountain to the wall, but opted to ride the ski lift. It was amazing to see the landscape from high up on our perch and see the wall get bigger and bigger the closer we got to it. When we arrived at the top, we began our walk. There are so many steep steps and inclines, I was glad that I did not climb up, I needed the energy to just walk the wall. Our group took tons of pictures and at various stations along the wall, there were workers ready to take pictures of the group and sell souvenirs, drinks and candy. Besides, getting to see the wall, the next best part was the ride down. They have built a tobaggon ramp and you can ride a tobaggon all the way down the mountain. It was a blast!!! I took many pictures of the whole ride down and got in trouble for going to fast!!
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