Something to wake up to...

It's early morning for you (6:44 AM), and I'm about to head to bed (10:44 PM).

Today was a splendid day. Pictures to come later when I have more time. I left around 9:45 AM this morning to meet my cousin in the North-West of Beijing, where she lives. I arrived around 11:30 AM. We went to her work where we picked up a spare bike that they share on site. We biked to Beida, one of the most important Chinese universities. It's beautiful! It has a big lake and a tall pagoda and it's very romantic. Lots of couples on benches, displaying their love for each other. :-)

We had fish for lunch. It wasn't particularly good, but I don't have fish often.

We biked to the nearby Old Summer Palace, which is really a very large park with ruins of the Emperor's palace that was destroyed in the 19th century by Anglo-French allied forces. Terrible. My cousin, Veronique, didn't know how to say "ruins" in Chinese, so when she asked for directions she said, "The thing that the foreigners destroyed." Very funny.

Not very impressive, but the park is worth the visit. Very tranquil and beautiful - usually.

The subway on the way back was packed - so many people! Beijing is really, really crowded.

Had dinner with people I like, which is always nice. I was very excited this evening for some reason. Super hyper. We all went to McDonald's for a milkshake afterwards. Yes, I know, it's terrible, but to tell you the truth I hardly ever ever go to McDonald's...it was peer pressure okay?

Good night!