The Great Wall of China

This was without question the best day I have spent in China thus far, and the within the top 3 experiences in my trip overall.

We chose to go to a section of the wall called Jinshanling, where it is far from the crowds of tourists. We drove almost 5 hours from Beijing to get there, and it was magical!

The climb from Jinshanling to Simatai was 10 km long, and some parts were so steep! We loved every moment of it!

My first glimpse of the wall above.

Mike was in his element, running up and down the wall, trying to catch his breath between taking pictures.

You can't believe how massive this wall is!

The views from the wall are breathtaking. We were lucky enough to have a perfectly sunny day with blue skies and a constant gentle breeze.

On the way down from the wall, we had the option of 'zip-lining'. I was terrified but I could see in Mike's eyes that he really wanted to do it, and so......

.....I did it too! It was exhilirating, and when I worked up the courage to open my eyes, I had the most incredible view of the Great Wall.