Summer Palace & the Forbidden City

Finally, after several previous attempts, we get to head out to the Summer Palace, it takes about an hour on the underground with a number of changes on the way. Once there, as with many Chinese tourist attractions, it is packed. There is a sign saying 84,000 people came into the palace the day before and 80,000 are expected today, well 80,002, as they were not expecting us two. When you first walk in to the palace it is like any other Chinese entrance, costing you £3 to get in, then you come across Suzhou Market Street which you need to pay an additional £1 to go down to. From the bridge you get to see the prettiness of the Suzhou Market but you do wonder why they charge £1 to go and visit shops. Going around the hill the tree and landscape is very pretty then you come across the Hall Wall Bridge which is a very Chinese bridge and again very pretty. Next stop the Oingyag Boat (Marble Boat) which is standing in the Kunming Lake looking a little worst for wear and in need of some attention. The paint is peeling and looks like the stones holding it together are about to come apart. A quick ice-lolly to cool us down as it is very humid with the temperature about 32c. We walked down the Long Corridor which goes alongside the Kunming Lake and it’s very pretty. You can just imagine the Emperor walking along these walk ways enjoying the serenity of the lake and prettiness of the gardens. But for us we had to share it with thousands of noisy Chinese tourists. Looking up from Yunhuiyuyu Archway, which is situated at the pinnacle of the gardens, you can see the full glory of the Summer Palace looking up at the Temple of Buddhist Virtue and other impressive buildings on the hill side. We walked up the side of the hill to be welcomed by a lovely sound of a flute. We couldn’t see who was playing but we stopped on a park bench and rested while we listened to the musician playing the in the distance. It was really lovely. About an hour later we walked a bit further up the hill and found two old men sitting and playing to each other. Over all the Summer Palace was very pretty. Chinese palaces with beautiful gardens to roam around but the number of tourists just made the place over crowded and much too busy to enjoy the full beauty of the place. We had been to the Forbidden City a few days earlier and we had found the same thing there. The Forbidden City is much closer to the city centre though - just opposite Tianemen Square and the massive crowds there made it impossible to view the exhibits or to find any quiet space. The heat was unbearable here too. We ducked into a shop whenever we could for the benefit of the air conditioning. The Forbidden City is beautiful but i would recommend going out of their peak holiday season if you go.