Beijing trip day 2-- Great Wall and a brewery

The Great Wall of China

On my second day in Beijing, I traveled out to the Great Wall of China.  I visited the Mutianyu section of the Wall.  A friend from Beijing told me that this section is the best and it's not as crowded as the other sections near Beijing.  This section is older and better preserved than the more popular Badaling section.

The Wall was very impressive.  It stretches through the forested mountains to the north of Beijing.

The Wall follows the contours of the landscape and is rarely flat.  Walking along the top of the Wall in the 90 degree Beijing heat was exhausting, but well worth it.

One of the unique things about the Mutianyu section, is that there are many more guard towers here than at other sections of the Wall.

There was a cable car to take people to the top of the Wall and back down.

Great Leap Brewing

After getting back from visiting the Great Wall, I decided that it was time to relax with a pint and a burger.  I sought out Great Leap Brewing.  Great Leap bills itself as Beijing's first craft beer brewery.  The beer is brewed with Chinese ingredients.  Many of the beers are infused with different varieties of Chinese tea.

It was the best beer that I've had in China (and the best burger).  My favorites were the Yunnan Amber (amber ale infused with red tea from Yunnan province) and the Iron Buddha Blonde (blonde ale infused with Iron Buddha oolong tea).


That's all for now.  Check back later for Beijing day three:  the Forbidden City.