Marathon & Magic in China

We have been absent from our blog for over a week. A number of excuses come to mind, too busy, left the computer in Tokyo, Blogs do not work in China, does not work on the iPad, etc. As usual, the truth is much simpler. All of the above combined with a bit of lethargy limited our writing.

First, to all of you who have commented and tracked us, thank you for the encouragement. Life is an adventure and it is fun to share. Second, to Kevin a great thank you. Beijing would not have been half the fun without you. Now that we are soon leaving, you will be able to rest.

Companion photo from our thoughts are always a challenge. Here is both passion and grace, ballroom dancing in the Temple of Heaven. How appropriate.

This first visit to China was limited to Beijing and Xian. That is the marathon portion. First impressions seem to be a good place to start this blog. Stupendous and overwhelming are two adjectives that come to mind. The airport and the drive into Beijing impress with the size of everything. It brings to mind asking for a small latte at Starbucks. There is no such thing as small. Nothing can prepare you for the size of the road taking you past Tienamin, or for that matter, the expanse of the Square itself. We were told that there are 4 million cars in Beijing. I am a believer.

Everything appears to be designed to impress. Bejing is one place where one can believe that size does count. There are no short blocks, small buildings, or quaint restaurants. Blocks are long, buildings are tall and broad, and restos seat hundreds. We have done all of the requisite sites and more. Got our fake watch and real cashmere shawl and ate tons of dumplings and duck. But I digress, onto Xian.

Do you believe in magic? As we shuffled into the first of the terra-cotta warrior halls, we were awestruck. These thousands of guys are impressive. Seeing them lined up in their splendor with the open ceiling allowing the sun to spotlight their grandeur, takes your breath away. Patience, the real stuff is yet to come.

Looking at the soldiers, I hear a voice call out "Marcel". My first reaction is, I wonder how many Chinese have the same name as me. Now for the magic. Right behind me, in a huge crowd of Chinese tourists and a few foreigners, is Sara from Berlin. We scream, we hug, our respective spouses wonder if we have lost our minds. There it was, Marcel and Piki hook up with Andreas and Sara completely outside of our respective zone and planetary orbits. Wow do you believe I fate.

As with previous blogs, we share some random thoughts and events. More to come. After all, we did come here for the International Psychotherapy conference.

Marcel