To the Great Wall...finally!

Grand Canyon is considered one of the "Seven Natural Wonders of the World."  Visitors often try to name the other natural world wonders.  Inevitably, someone guesses that the Great Wall of China is on that list.  Though the Great Wall is not a natural wonder, it is most definitely on the list of human-made wonders of the world.  

The most well-known site in China.

Gobbling up some 5,500 miles (8,850 km) of China's landscape, the Great Wall is not one wall, but a collection of short walls.  Construction of the wall began in the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BCE) and the 'modern' portions were finished during the Ming Dynasty (188-1644 CE). 

To climb the Great Wall was a great experience and we walked in the footsteps of so many before us.  The guides made a point to tell us that various presidents and other famous people have visited the Great Wall.  In fact, the staff there is so proud of its famous visitors, they gave us a book filled with 400 images of heads of state at the Great Wall.  We hope the next edition of the book has our picture!

The history of this cultural site is rich and fascinating, and worth further reading: http://www.greatwall-of-china.com/

Chairman Mao famously said, "Until you reach the Great Wall, you're no hero."  
We feel pretty heroic!

We climbed the Badaling section of the wall- the most famous of all
Great Wall sections.

AJ climbs one of the steepest inclines at Badaling- 70%!

No.  The naked eye cannot see the Great Wall of China from outer space.