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| There are other options besides walking the walls, but I chose walking |
Before we check out of the hotel, let's have one last look at my hotel on Xi'an, the Hilton. This is the front reception desk:
The sitting area across from the reception desk, the other side of the lobby:
A "Terra Cotta Warriors" style chariot, flanked by two cranes because why not?
Let's have a closer look at one of the cranes, which is standing on a turtle-lion-dragon:
Crank up the drawbridge because we are done with walls of Xi'an.
I'm almost down with this peripatetic-paced pass through the People's Republic of China. Well, two important tourist cities within the P.R.C., at least.
The sitting area across from the reception desk, the other side of the lobby:
A "Terra Cotta Warriors" style chariot, flanked by two cranes because why not?
Let's have a closer look at one of the cranes, which is standing on a turtle-lion-dragon:
Walking out of the Xi'an Hilton for the final day's adventure:
A trip to the Xi'an ancient city walls.
Don't let all the buses scare you. There's plenty of room atop the walls for everyone.
Xi'an is a tourist town. This is the height of tourist season. And the city walls are a tourist attraction. Need proof?
And, yes, there will be a tourist crowding milling around the gate. We came in through the East Gate.
Where there was a bell.
Not quite Philadelphia, but still nice.
But once you are away from the gate, and despite the fact that the sun will be poring down on you on the first truly sunny day in China, the crowds will be light. It will be a pleasant, lightly-touristed experience in this Chinese tourist town. (And by "Chinese tourist town," I mean "'Chinese-tourist' town" far more than I mean "Chinese 'tourist-town,'" if that makes sense as written.)
The walls are well-marked. And like in the rest of Xi'an, as well as Beijing, lots of free and clean public restrooms, as is evident from the sign above.
Lots of guard houses along the walking route, since these were functional defensive walls for a long time, not too long ago.
The tall buildings are the newer city outside the walls. Lower-rise construction is found inside the walls.
It is interesting that there is the nice bit of greenery at the northeast corner of the walls, since there is a beautiful ribbon of green parkland just outside the city walls on most sides. Rarely is there parkland inside.
We could visit this guard house. Except that it's closed.
Here is a nice view of the green ribbon of parkland that is outside the city walls:
And here's more:
Here's a view looking inside the walls at the old "lower-rise" city:
That's enough. Back to walking:
Guard house ahead:
Plenty of bicycles built for two:
Getting closer to the north gate, which means traffic is picking up.
Wedding photography alert!
Looking down outside the walls again.
We walked from the east gate to the north gate, which would be one-quarter of the total length of the walls. A complete rectangle would be eight miles, so this is a two-mile trek.
There is a "moat" of sorts around the walls.
Which I only learned too late has boat cruising available.
Don't let all the buses scare you. There's plenty of room atop the walls for everyone.
Xi'an is a tourist town. This is the height of tourist season. And the city walls are a tourist attraction. Need proof?
And, yes, there will be a tourist crowding milling around the gate. We came in through the East Gate.
Where there was a bell.
Not quite Philadelphia, but still nice.
But once you are away from the gate, and despite the fact that the sun will be poring down on you on the first truly sunny day in China, the crowds will be light. It will be a pleasant, lightly-touristed experience in this Chinese tourist town. (And by "Chinese tourist town," I mean "'Chinese-tourist' town" far more than I mean "Chinese 'tourist-town,'" if that makes sense as written.)
The walls are well-marked. And like in the rest of Xi'an, as well as Beijing, lots of free and clean public restrooms, as is evident from the sign above.
Lots of guard houses along the walking route, since these were functional defensive walls for a long time, not too long ago.
The tall buildings are the newer city outside the walls. Lower-rise construction is found inside the walls.
It is interesting that there is the nice bit of greenery at the northeast corner of the walls, since there is a beautiful ribbon of green parkland just outside the city walls on most sides. Rarely is there parkland inside.
We could visit this guard house. Except that it's closed.
Here is a nice view of the green ribbon of parkland that is outside the city walls:
And here's more:
Here's a view looking inside the walls at the old "lower-rise" city:
That's enough. Back to walking:
Plenty of bicycles built for two:
Getting closer to the north gate, which means traffic is picking up.
Wedding photography alert!
Looking down outside the walls again.
We walked from the east gate to the north gate, which would be one-quarter of the total length of the walls. A complete rectangle would be eight miles, so this is a two-mile trek.
There is a "moat" of sorts around the walls.
Which I only learned too late has boat cruising available.
Crank up the drawbridge because we are done with walls of Xi'an.
I'm almost down with this peripatetic-paced pass through the People's Republic of China. Well, two important tourist cities within the P.R.C., at least.
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