Following a seminar I had in Beijing, Erica flew up to join me for the weekend.  Our first stop was Beihai Park, located just west of the Forbidden City.  The main part of the park is a huge lake with paddleboats and ducks, and lots of gardens and temples scattered around...if only it wasn't 100 degrees out!

Ring the bell for good luck!  As the bell tolls, locals gather around to play music, sing traditional songs, and relax with some taichi.

A local tour guide writes a poem on the pavement with a water brush, giving onlookers only a few minutes to read it before it evaporates!

Erica poses in front of the Nine Dragon Wall which depicts nine different dragons playing with pearls, each representing a different type of colored glazed tile, which was a revolutionary process in China.

Our day was topped off with some original Beijing roast duck and all the fixin's!  And of course, when we saw a Baskin- Robbins, we had to get our 31 flavors...or at least two of them!