The Summer Palace was a must see. It spreads over 715 acres, 3/4 of which is water. It's truly a masterpiece of Chinese architecture and design. We only covered a miniscule part of the palace. Once we reached the water, we just looked for as far as we could to see the boats and bridges floating. Ohhh the Emperor's life was a good life indeed. Our feet were aching so bad from all of the walking and climbing of steps that we rode a rickshaw back to the subway! It was only a quarter mile walk, but we were being lazy butts. Besides, the rickshaw was part of the China experience.
Finally, the other meal that we had been waiting for since the trip began: traditional Peking Duck. Jen chose this beautiful restaurant called DaDong Roast Duck. The ambiance of the restaurant was unlike anything I had seen before. It was modern, abstract, and sleek. It was the perfect way to end a trip.
Upon entry, there is an open area with hot fire ovens where chefs would prepare the infamous duck, like a performance. They looked so professional and prepped the duck quite carefully. We had the duck of course, a veggie plate, and the most adorable dish I had ever seen!! It was sweet and sour duck in a yam basket with lil duckling pastries. It was sooo precious I wanted to take it back to the States with me =)
The Peking Duck was absolutely DIVINE!! First off, the chef came out to carve it in front of us. He did it with precision and only cut the best parts. The rest of it? Who knows...they took it back to the kitchen and probably used it for other things. But we didn't mind because 1 duck was more than enough for alll of us. We were cultured. Our server came out and showed us how to enjoy the peking duck. It was completely different from what it is back home. They don't eat those flour buns but rather, these paper thing crepes. I think this was better because the flour didn't take a way from the duck. The skin...oooooo it literally melted in my mouth like cotton candy. It was perfect. After our main course, they brought out desserts. I was so happy to see the plate of fresh fruit as it is hard to come by here in China. How fancy! They put it on dry ice too. I'd come back to Beijing just for their Peking Duck!
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