Good to be home

Yes, we made it back home. The day after we got here, we went to my grandmother's for Christmas and didn't get home until Saturday night. And I've been trying to recover from the whole trip ever since. Do you realize I was away from home more than a month?

We had an interesting last week in China. First Hubby got sick, then I got it. I'll spare you the gory details, but suffice it to say I spent a lot of time in the bathroom. We went to the pharmacy, where I was given a Chinese herbal remedy. It actually worked really well, but I still didn't feel totally better until after we got home.

Our final day in Beijing just happened to be the coldest day they've had in 57 years - only 14 during the day, and the wind was blowing about 40-50 mph. To say it was cold would be like saying the surface of the sun is a little warm. I couldn't feel my fingers after a while. But, loyal readers, I will brave any extremity for a chance to see new things, and here is what I saw that day:This is the Temple of Heaven, the place where the emperors came to offer sacrifices for a good harvest. This is some of the interior. It's hard to get a good picture because you can't go inside. You can see all the brilliant colors, though. The whole place had been refurbished in 2005, so it was very vibrant.
Then, after warming up inside for the most of the afternoon, we ventured out to see the Olympic park area. And if I had thought it was cold that afternoon, it was like a sauna compared to after the sun went down. It was worth it though, to see everything lit up at night.
Pretty cool, huh? They had hundreds of Christmas trees lining the plaza between the two buildings, which really made for a spectacular sight.

And so, we are home once again. It was the trip of a lifetime and even though I missed home terribly, I'm so very glad I went!