Built in the early 1400s, the Forbidden City is a really impressive palace compound (consisting of 980 buildings over 180 acres) right in the middle of Beijing.
I almost didn’t even bother going to see the Great Wall of China. I figured it’s cold, it’s expensive, I’d have to wake up early, and wouldn’t it be easier to just… not go? I mean, it’s a wall. What’s the big whoop?
The whoop, as it turns out, is pretty big. The Great Wall might have been one of the most awe-inspiring things I’ve ever seen.
Well, that’s a wrap on Amsterdam (and on Europe!). As usual, here’s a few random photos to close things out.
Remember the Guinness Storehouse that I wrote about in Ireland? Well, they have something in Amsterdam called the Heineken Experience that’s pretty much the exact same thing, but with Heineken instead of Guinness.
Apple pie purists would probably scoff at it, but the pie at a cafe called Winkel 43 in Amsterdam is pretty damn good.
If you walk around Dublin for long enough, you’re going to see someone holding a bag from the gift shop at the Guinness Storehouse. It’s definitely one of those must-visit places for tourists.
Well, I’m a tourist. I like must-visit places. I also quite like Guinness, so yeah, it’s a no-brainer.
I don’t know that I’ve ever actually gone on a hike before. Also: I’m honestly not entirely sure what differentiates hiking from walking. I mean, is it basically just walking, but in nature? If so, maybe I have hiked?
Yes, it’s on to the next place, which means it’s time to wrap things up with a bunch of pictures.
I’ve been almost entirely eschewing organized tours on this trip — partially because I like wandering around on my own, and partially because that stuff isn’t cheap. If you’re only travelling for a week or two, it makes complete sense to pay for stuff like that, because why not? You may as well cram as much as you can into the days that you have, and then worry about the money when you get home.
But when you’re travelling for several months, your budget is drastically different. Every cent counts, and if you’re taking pricey tours everywhere you go, that’ll add up fast.
Still, exceptions have to be made, and in Scotland — which is known just as much for its scenic countryside as anything else — I figured I’d be remiss if I stayed entirely in the city. Since renting a car was out of the question, a tour was really the only option.
Free museums appears to be a UK thing, because all of the big museums in Scotland are free just like the ones in London.
So I’ve been to a ridiculous amount of of them over the last couple of weeks (I’m actually starting to get a bit museumed out). Still, Glasgow has a couple of museums that are worth mentioning.