12/3 Forbidden City

Good morning, everyone! Or night! Time zones are still messing me up! It’s Anna here, and today we broke up the classes and homework with some sightseeing. Although not fully, because we didn’t start touring until noon, so we still spent the morning studying at a coffee shop (photographic evidence below). Here’s a fun fact: every 12 hours, a new Caffe Bene opens somewhere in the world. Keep your eyes peeled, I guess. 



Some of us watched The Last Emperor on Saturday night, so we were fully pumped and ready to explore the forbidden city. After passing through the famous Tiananmen Square, we began our tour. Hot tip in case you’re ever passing through Beijing in winter after 3 months of insane humidity: gloves and hats are a need, not a want. On a personal level, my Scandinavian roots were really letting me down on the cold tolerance, so I became adept at locating and not so subtly placing myself in front of all the space heaters in all the museums. ANYWAY. 



The forbidden city is literally and figuratively one of the coolest places we’ve been- it was constructed in the early 15th century as the imperial palace for emperors during the Ming and Quing dynasties, and it is awe-inspiring. Its collection of historical Chinese artifacts is also considered one of the best museums in the world, and I can personally attest that the calligraphy display was one of my favorite exhibits I’ve seen on this trip. We had a couple free hours to wander around with a guided audio tour, and then it was back on the bus and back to campus. People went off to various restaurants for dinner, and then some gathered later in the evening to watch Teen Wolf (a predictable staple at the end of a long touring day). It was early to bed for those who were committing the ultimate act of Ole solidarity and getting up before 5 am to stream Christmas Fest. Hoping everyone back home had a great Sunday- stay tuned for more updates! 

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