Asia! Throwback to our biggest adventure so far – Asia, August 2016. Traveling in today’s super busy and fast moving world for a whole month sounds – to be honest – like a dream. Exploring different cultures and countries, getting a chance of tasting and smelling new scents and odors every day, being away for four weeks without any obligations sounds impossible. However, my husband and I were able to do exactly that. Traveling for a whole month! We came up with this idea a couple of months ago during our stay in Brazil. Hungry to explore more countries and filled with thousands of imagines in our heads we decided to spend this time in Asia. Well, I agree, Asia is a huge continent and a month is by far not enough to explore every single city or town. We needed a well-organized plan and we had to choose the cities we really wanted to visit. After endless hours of research and planning, we decided to start in China. Before you book your flights or hotels, be sure to have a valid VISA. You have to fill out a special application form and apply for it. This may take a while so plan in advance. After we had got our visas we started immediately with our detailed plan. Our very first stop of this incredible journey was Beijing.

Beijing is the capital of the People’s Republic of China and the world’s third most populous city. The city is renowned for its opulent palaces, temples, parks, gardens, tombs, gates and walls. Speaking of walls, I’ve never pictured myself walking on the famous Great Wall of China, or let’s say at least to set a foot on a section of it.

What is the Great Wall?

The Great Wall of China, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the great man-made wonders of the world, which extends trough the whole country, like a gigantic dragon. Stretching up and down across deserts, grasslands, mountains and plateaus the wall covers an area of approximately 4,163 miles from east to west.

When was it build and how long did it take?

The construction of the Great Wall was started by the Qin dynasty between the seventh and eighth BC and took more than 1800 years to complete.

Which section should I visit?

We visited the Great Wall at Mutianyu. Mutianyu is one section of the Great Wall of China and located in Huairou County around 44 miles northeast of central Beijing. This section is less crowded compared to the famous Badaling section, which is located around 49 miles north of Beijing. You can visit the Great Wall throughout the whole year and enjoy spectacular views.

I always thought walking on the Great Wall is like a relaxed Sunday stroll in the big apple. Hah! It is not. Actually, it is a mix of climbing, walking and hiking. If you climb up a watch tower always mind your head and be careful it might be slippery. Based on my personal experience comfortable shoes, sunglasses, and several bottles of water is a must in your backpack. Standing on the Great Wall was one of those moments where you literally have no words to describe this feeling. I was speechless. The scenery was incredibly pretty and mysterious at the same time. I tried to picture the area around the wall back in the time when it was built, the people who had worked so hard there, who had lost their lives during fights and wars and the people who had lived close to it, in my head. Half an hour later I found myself prepared for climbing up the wall and we did it. We climbed, hiked and walked on the Great Wall for about two hours. We’ve visited several watch towers, took many pictures and enjoyed just sitting there being fascinated by the incredible view. This are is surrounded by forest, mountains and small villages. The Mutianyu section of the Great Wall is fully restored and if you watch your steps all the time it is safe to take on this adventure. Another major thing we really enjoyed it was not super crowded. We came extremely early and avoided most of the tourist groups. Walking on the Great Wall of China was a magical and truly unforgettable moment and I’m so incredibly happy I got the chance to share this experience with my husband. After several hours around and on the Great Wall, we decided to visit a small, local company which produces vases and different kinds of handmade jade products.

Back in Beijing we had a few hours left and decided to explore the Temple of Heaven. The Temple of Heaven is surrounded by a beautiful park which is located in the Chongwen District, in the southeastern part of central Beijing. Depending on the location of your hotel and your schedule you can walk there, take the subway or a cab. Make sure to get all address you’ll need during your stay there in Chinese. Most of the locals don’t speak English. We used offline maps on our mobile phones, you can get them for free in the app store. Make sure to download them before your vacation. Entering the Temple of Heaven in the late afternoon was not possible anymore, which we knew, but we wanted to take a stroll inside the park and taking a glimpse at the Temple of Heaven. It was absolutely worth it.

After this busy day, which was filled with incredible moments and breathtaking views and memories we went out for dinner and ended up in a really great traditional Chinese restaurant. If you have a good appetite go with the traditional Beijing duck which you will find in every bigger restaurant.