We started out near Tiananmen Square. We saw the Mao Memorial and a bunch of other historical markers. Tiananmen Square is pretty touristy, but there was a cool display for the Paralympics.
After that, we made our way into the Forbidden City. It was built in the 1400s and it has only been in the last 100 years that they let commoners into the grounds. The place is ginormous and we did not spend a lot of time there. I have learned some about Chinese history over the past week, but not enough to really get what I could have out of this pretty amazing place.
Later in the day, we went to the Tennis Center to watch Dave's doubles match. His partner is Nick Taylor and they are ranked number one for doubles.
They beat their opponents and move on to the finals this weekend. Watching doubles in wheelchair tennis was pretty awesome. The players are in constant motion moving their chairs around the courts. I haven't seen anything like it before.
Being near Dave while he was swarmed by Chinese fans after the match was also fun to watch. And most of all, seeing Dave, Jon and Randy together in Beijing was also pretty cool. They have known each other since the eighth grade. The idea of being in China together watching Dave play in the Paralympics was something that they never could have imagined!
We have not been able to see other events as we had hoped. It is difficult to get tickets and the venues are far apart. Also, we spend a lot of the day at the Tennis Center with Dave. We were going to watch swimming tomorrow night, but Dave's singles semifinals match could be at the same time. We get to see most events on TV if we are in the hotel long enough to have it on.
1 comment:
Congratulations to Dave! (Even though I know him not.) I bet those matches are something to see!
Love, Wardeh
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