Today we check out of the hotel and spend the morning in Beijing.
The street in Beiluogouxian is right in the centre of Beijing. It was built in the Ming Dynasty. Everything seems to be geared towards tourists. It is, but this way the old small streets could stay like this and were not modernised, actually a nice thing. After a while, we no longer felt like we were in Disneyland.
You used to be able to buy these huge cigarettes in a small side street. You could just imagine what it used to smell like here and how busy it was. In one of the shop windows there was a beautiful dark blue wooden fan with little painted flowers. Soooo beautiful... but the journey will take too long to buy it, not that it will break on the way.
We stroll on and arrive at Lake Schichahai. It's really pretty here. We have a real coffee at the Mountain Cafe. Even with oat milk from Oatly.
It reminds me a little of Amsterdam, the bridges, the shops, even the bicycles. The area belonged to the emperor's brother.
It's spring and it's also very beautiful in Beijing.
A rickshaw ride... Sylvia wasn't so keen. But as they say, hunger comes with eating. 25 minutes along the lake and through the little alleyways. Very relaxed, spring is blowing around our noses, very nice. The lilacs are already in bloom and have a beguiling scent.
And we had a lot to laugh about with our driver. At the beginning he was rather clumsy but then he started to challenge younger drivers. It was great fun.
And now? Goodbye Beijing and off we go on the high-speed train to Xi'an.
But first through a security check. We didn't realise that spray cans over 150 ml are not allowed. And so Sylvia's hair mousse remains in Beijing. And anyone who knows her knows that she didn't find it the least bit amusing. Around 65 million passengers travel here every year, our journey to Xi'an, which is 1250 kilometres long, takes 4.5 hours and is super punctual.
Without our guide Andy, we wouldn't have found the train so easily. Show the pass again, it's linked to the ticket. And then it's time to say goodbye. Thank you Andy, we had a great time with you and our driver.
We sit comfortably in a two-seater with plenty of legroom. Now we're whizzing through the countryside at 350 km/h. Past huge fields, fruit tree plantations, greenhouses and tree-lined avenues.
The speed is very impressive. You can no longer take a sharp photo out of the window. But the view is incredible. The vastness, the fields. And again, gigantic residential silos in the suburbs of a city. Unimaginable to live like this. The landscape changes, it becomes hilly, terraces are carved into the hills. Are these still rice terraces? Now and again there are abandoned villages with crumbling brick buildings. And there are always huge building sites. For bridges, wide roads and residential silos. It's hard to believe. This huge contrast between the modern and the old. We are speechless. Xi'an is incredibly big. Whole high-rise plantations. Endless, absolutely surreal. 12.5 million people live and work here.
Our driver takes us to our destination in half an hour. Eaton Hotel in Xi'an A great hotel welcomes us and the visa for Tibet is already waiting for us at reception. Wonderful, everything went smoothly.
A quick bite to eat round the corner, as it's already 8pm. The waitress assigns us a large table and is ready with the digital menu. She shows us chicken and beef dishes. A chicken stew spontaneously catches our eye. There is also a plate of something green with an unidentifiable white, rather wrinkly-looking something. Markus waves away my doubts and so that is also ordered.
Oh my god it was delicious, it was like a cress salad with big leaves and raw walnuts, all garnished with lemon and chilli. Marvellous...
Only the chicken pot was a long time coming. When it finally arrived, it was clear why it had taken so long. The chicken pieces lay on a bed of mild garlic, ginger and onions in a ceramic pot straight from the hot oven. Garnished with mint. Again, we were absolutely pleasantly surprised. It was great.
