El Templo de...Heaven

The Temple of Heaven is not so much a single site, but it's an entire park area. It is a very popular place for locals to spend the day and there were a lot of people playing chess, picnicking, and doing tai chi all over the park. Pardon the sideways video, it's Krystal's fault.

But of course the Temple of Heaven is the main feature. It's famous for it's architecture (every aspect of the building and surrounding area is symbolic), but also because it is where the emperors would go to worship and meditate and participate in prayer ceremonies

I enjoy taking pictures in the reflection of glasses, can you tell?

They let us get up close, but you can't enter the temple itself. And they only open a few doors to see inside, so it was a mad house trying to get close enough to see anything. Crazy tourists.

Spencer also really wanted to see the Circular Mound Altar, so we headed across the park grounds to the south end.

The Circular Mound is actually really beautiful so I'm glad we went. Even though I didn't actual go up onto it. And instead sat on the ground with Bryonna. My feet were killing me, give me a break.

Can you find Bryonna and I?

The Circular Mound was used for religious ceremonies and sacrifices, and apparently several treaties were also signed there. Such a cool area of the park. After looking around we took a moment to regroup and rehydrate,

And then headed back to the hotel to pick up our luggage. Momma Bowen and I decided to wait at the subway, and trying to gracefully sit on a small step ended up being an entertaining slide to the ground.

Sorry, couldn't resist!

After picking up the luggage (so.much.luggage.) we took a train ride to the airport and then a two hour flight southwest to Xian. Another late late night for the Bowen family.