AFTER THE WALL

China hosted the Summer Olympics in 2008. Everyone watching the opening ceremonies was spellbound by the spectacular performances. Equally impressive was the "Birds Nest", the nickname given the National Stadium where the ceremony was held. The architects for the innovative structure was a Swiss firm, Herzog and deMeuron.

The "Water Cube" or National Aquatic Center was also constructed for the 2008 Olympics. It's a rectangular- shaped steel building covered by a membrane of brightly lit blue bubbles. The LED-lit bubbles allow warm air to enter the building and keep the water temperature at an optimum 28 degrees.

We did not tour these structures but viewed them from an elevated area across the street.

CHINA, THE GREAT WALL

I don't know if there are words to describe my first view of The Great Wall. Like mostly everyone in the world I'd seen loads of pictures of this "wonder" but the pictures were usually closeups of some famous person standing on the wall. To actually see the grey-white stone structure snaking along the mountain ridge is nothing less than awesome.

The Great Wall is the world's longest human-made structure, stretching over 4,000 miles. It's estimated that 2 to 3 million Chinese died in the centuries long process of building the Wall. The Great Wall that can be seen today was built during the Ming Dynasty (1368 to 1644) using limestone, granite and bricks. Battle forts and watch towers are spaced at intervals along the wall.

The steps at the Wall were extremely steep, at uneven heights, and were sometimes broken and slippery. The climb was daunting. I made it up three levels and only because an older man with a cane was walking ahead of me. "If he could do it, I could do it." There were steps inside of the watch towers also but they were much too steep and narrow for me to attempt. The trip back down to the starting point was nearly as harrowing as the trip up, I kept thinking I would trip and fall on my face.

After my semi-successful climb I purchased a t-shirt and key chain to prove I had made the great trek.

CHINA DAY TWO

After buffet breakfast at the hotel we boarded our motorcoach. First stop was a Jade Factory. A spokesperson explained the history of jade and its importance in Chinese culture. He then showed us how to distinguish real jade from fake (real jade will cut glass and makes a melodic sound when tapped). There were a couple of glass enclosed workplaces where we could observe jade pieces being carved. The artists were amazing but I wondered if enough precautions were taken to protect these craftsmen. (One of many times I cheered the existence of OSHA in the US)We then toured the factory showroom where we saw beautiful jade carvings, jewelry, etc. I think lots of credit cards got swiped at the jewelry counters.

Back on the bus at 11:30 headed for the Ming Tombs. This was a beautiful Saturday and as we drove through the countryside saw early spring bloomers, forsythia, lilacs, fruit trees. In fact, traffic was heavy because many city dwellers were travelling out of town to observe the beautiful flowers. (The city of Beijing was quite smoggy this day..we were told this is often the case)

The Ming Tombs form a group of Mausoleums of 13 emperors of the Ming Dynasty. Fengshui was used in placement of buildings..harmony with nature. We walked around the complex and saw some artifacts.

After visiting the tombs, we left for the Cloisonne Factory where we witnessed the intricate process of producing this enamelware. (Again, I would have called OSHA.) Beautiful, beautiful objects for sale in the showroom. We had lunch at a restaurant within the factory. Lunch included a sample of a drink similar to sake. (I didn't like it)

After lunch we headed to the highlight of our day, THE GREAT WALL.

TO BE CONTINUED

MY CHINA TRIP

I just returned from China. What a wonderful adventure! What a great time! Adding to the fun was the fact that two of my sisters were among the group of 29 on the tour. Our tour group left the St Mary's County Chamber of Commerce Office at 6:30 am April 14. We traveled by motorcoach to JFK in New York. How appropriate that the coach drove through Chinatown on the way to the airport. Perhaps this was an intended introduction to the culture we were about to experience on a larger scale. I had not been to NYC in years so it was a treat to see the Statue of Liberty in the distance as we drove; to see the Brooklyn Bridge; and of course to see the New York skyline. We arrived at JFK about 1:30 pm. Our flight left about 5 pm, a direct flight to Shanghai. We arrived at 8:45 pm April 15 but had to collect our baggage, go through customs and board a plane to Beijing. The plane to Beijing left about 10:30, arriving at 12:30. My seatmate on this flight was a Chinese journalist who specialized in economics. He was a fountain of information about everyday Chinese life, shopping, exchange rate, the written language. So interesting!! We finally checked into our hotel room at Pullman Beijing West Wanda at 3 am. Exhausted! How many hours did we travel? TO BE CONTINUED

GARDENING MAGAZINES

I mentioned in my last post that I'm leafing through old gardening magazines. I'm coming across loads of useful information.

One of my gardening friends who lives in the country happened to mention how much she dreads encountering a snake. The next day, I read a tidbit about repelling animals...for snakes, ring your garden with sisal rope. Snakes won't crawl across it.

My favorite Farmers Market plant supplier and I were discussing uses for winter savory. "Herb Companion" had a whole article (with recipes) about winter savory. The following week I took the magazine to market day.

My friend, Janet, loves her Harry Lauder walking stick. I'll send her the information on trimming leaves to enhance the curling branches.

Most of my fellow gardeners would like the tip on repelling deer..spritz a scented bathroom spray on boards and place the boards every 10 to 15 feet around the garden.

Here's a really good hint I plan to make use of tomorrow...use needle nosed pliers to pull weeds growing between sidewalk sections and in cracks.

More on Bird of Paradise

I have tons of old gardening magazines. Lately I've been leafing through them, then passing them along to my gardening friends. More often than not I come across pertinent, valuable information. This is what I learned about the Bird of Paradise from a 1994 edition of "Horticulture":

Native of South Africa

Flowers only when it's mature (around 6 to 8 years) and pot bound

Needs bright sunlight

Is a heavy feeder

Once it blooms, expect repeat blooming in subsequent years.

Once beautiful, but fading fast..I hope to collect seeds though.

My very own Bird of Paradise flower

"Wait til next year"! Isn't that the motto for all avid gardeners! Is there research about the average life span of gardeners? It is a fact that we gardeners are keenly aware of the need to take care of ourselves, we must endure, we must live to see another spring.

Seven years ago I vacationed in Maui. The trip included a visit to a beautiful botanical garden. The plants were amazing tropical wonders that I could only dream of growing in my zone 5 garden. However, I am the eternal optimist when it comes tropical plant collecting; I purchased Bird of Paradise seeds. Back in Michigan I planted the seeds and marveled at the two beautiful strong plants that emerged. Each fall I hauled the potted plants to my basement to overwinter. The two Bird of Paradise plants grew stronger each year but did not flower. That is, until this year. I could hardly believe it, the stalk that was shooting up contained a flower and not another leaf. It has been well worth the seven year wait to watch this intricate and beautiful Bird of Paradise flower bloom in my very own backyard.