The final episode of our first trip: the Forbidden City, dinner with an old friend, a third tattoo, the Summer Palace, and a journey home that turned into a 48-hour saga. For the first time in our lives, nobody wanted to go home.
Usually at the end of a trip you can't wait to get home. After 19 days in China, it was the opposite, and our 9-year-old kids were the ones looking at us and saying "we don't want to go home". That's when you know a trip will stay with them for the rest of their lives. I think these videos will help them remember it.
Tiananmen and the Forbidden City
We started with the giant mall attached to our hotel, then walked to Tiananmen Square. Our first lesson: you need to book in advance. We hadn't bought tickets the day before, so we couldn't get in. We had better luck at the Forbidden City. Be ready to walk: the distances around here are enormous. Inside, Martina and her friend met two girls in traditional dress and spent the visit together. Saying goodbye was hard.
Dinner with Frank
That evening I met Frank, a dear friend from a long time ago, for a Cantonese dinner. His wife ordered for everyone ("no intestines, no chicken feet", at least that's what we asked for). I also showed them my 75-page China itinerary, which they joked they'd now have to read to learn about their own country.
Taikoo Li, a tattoo and the Summer Palace
The next morning we explored the Taikoo Li area, and our friend Alessandra got the travel tattoo she had wanted ever since Paola and I got ours in Chengdu. Then on to the Summer Palace, one of the most beautiful and peaceful places we saw in Beijing. One small pavilion is designed so that every window frames a different landscape, one towards the lake and another towards the mountains, like a series of living paintings. A kind staff member walked us to the boat. There's a language barrier everywhere (even nodding "yes" and "no" gets mixed up), but the kindness is constant.
Silk Market and the trip home
The last-day shopping happened at the Silk Market: clean, organised into stores, with a few fakes like in Shanghai. Then came passport control, a gin and tonic on the plane... and the Munich airport saga again. Strong winds made us miss our connection, so we spent a night in a Munich hotel, then flew Munich–Rome–Brindisi: 48 hours of travel and crying kids. It wasn't a nice memory of Munich.
"You can leave China, but China will never leave you"
Two months later, we still talk about China every day. We're already planning another trip (and I'm even trying to find a job there). Don't let anyone brainwash you: China is living in the future, and 2025–2026 is the best moment to go.