No longer Forbidden

They may have a 6000 year head start on us - but all it took for my kids to destroy the Forbidden Palace was 20 minutes.

Yesterday was Father's Day - and what better way to celebrate than to visit one of the top world's historical landmarks.

The Forbidden City was constructed in the 1400's and housed about 24 different emporers. Till the last one. And we all know how that ended.

We decided to leave early and try to beat the rush - so we got out of the house about 8 to get there by 8:30 when it opened.

It was a good idea.

By 8:20 I'd say there were at least 1 million tourists everywhere. Or that's how it felt. It was insanely crowded. And getting hot quickly. The whining started before we even set one foot inside history.

The only way I could think to keep them engaged was to say it was like being inside a live action Avatar Movie. That got my son excited enough to start kicking the locals as they passed.

Actually - the kids did pretty good. A lot of the palace is under reconstruction - and it is massively big. We literally walked around it for over three hours. It wasn't like we were stopping and sitting around either. Just walking.

They were hot and thirsty - but hung in there. In the end - I think it will be something they'll always remember. Maybe not as much as the Jacuzzi - but it will be up there.

As far as jet lag goes - they're doing better. They stayed up almost all day - then crashed about 7 last night and slept till almost 7 this morning. That's a new record.

As they all slept - I watched the rest of season two of the Wire - and jumped back into season three. I still say its the best show you've never seen.

Back to work today. Leaving everyone here all by themselves. We'll see how they fare...