Sunday in Xi'an

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A memorable birthday for Rod, Sunday was also filled with great times! After a leisurely breakfast at the Hostel, we explored a bit and ended up on top of the City Wall. The afternoon held more visits into the past with the Great Goose Pagoda, the History Museum, and the Great Mosque. Rod's birthday was celebrated throughout the day, and a late night flight back to Chengdu brought our Xi'an weekend to a close.

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Photos

Happy Birthday, Rod!
Rod's birthday breakfast complete with candles.

On top of the ancient City Wall
This wall, built in 1370, surrounds what is now the inner part of the city. Outside the wall is a canal--once a moat, and a bridge--once a draw bridge.

Another great day for a bike ride!
Biking on top of the wall

Great Goose Pagoda
This pagoda was built in 652 AD. Monks who used it for transcribing were not allowed in the upper levels used for storage of transcribed scrolls. We paid the extra and climbed the tiny staircases to the top.

Xi'an
The city was well viewed from the top of the Great Goose Pagoda. Notice the clothes lines on the roof tops.

The Chinese were amazing artists
The Shaanxi History Museum was filled with amazingly intact art relics. Many were dated from around the time of Christ.

Streets of the Muslim Quarter
The Muslim Quarter near the Great Mosque

Snow White Birthday Cake
When our tour guide, Raphael, learned it was Rod's birthday, he surprised him with a small cake at dinner topped with a sugar Snow White piece. The restaurant played canned music of Chinese children singing the Happy Birthday song in Chinese, then in broken English. Then Rod blew out his candles and ate Snow White.