Sightseeing is the order of the day.  We are going back to the Hutong Judy enjoyed so much on Wednesday.  We’re up and getting ready, listening to the Rangers play the Astros.  We head out and board the subway.  This is Judy’s first day on the train.   We arrive at the Hutong.  Wow!  Very narrow streets with tons of shops.  We browse the ½ mile length, and then decide to visit the Drum Tower and Bell Tower.

The subway station for the hurong.

Churros in Beijing?

A Blood Bank? “Twilight” is everywhere.

One of the many shops along the road.

Starbucks are everywhere.

Its’ a pretty good hike to the sites, with many more interesting shops and people on the way.  These two towers were the center of Beijing as it developed.  The drums and the bell were the time-keeping devices for the city.  The stairs to get to the top of the Drum Tower are REALLY steep, and it’s a long way up.  We make the climb and view the huge drums, and a performance.  The drummers seem young.  Musically it’s a little rough (many tics), but the whole atmosphere is really cool.  We head down and over to the Bell Tower.   More steep stairs almost discourage us, but we’re going to see Beijing if it kills us.   Cool views from the top and the sense of history sorta envelopes you.

Drum exhibition in the Drum Tower.

The Drum Tower as viewed from the Bell Tower

Stairs descending out of the Bell Tower

It takes a BIG mallet to get this bell sounding!

Views looking down from the Bell Tower into the nearby neighborhoods.

We head back to the Hutong to buy a few things.  Judy gets a small fan and an umbrella.  I’m looking for a fan for myself, but the can’t find the shop I had discovered earlier.  We eat lunch and head back to the train.  Trains are more crowded this afternoon.

The ceiling in an umbrella shop.

This is the backside of UHN Apartments, as viewed from Taoyongang Train Station, our nearest subway stop.

When we get back to the apartment.  We both crash.  We both do computer catch-up for the rest of the evening.