Xi’an
Shaanxi Province, China
June 2018
Xi’an city wall is one of the oldest and largest city fortifications in China. It dates from the 14th century but has been restored over the centuries. Along the top of the wall is a walkway that would take about four hours to walk in a complete circuit, but we hired bikes and rode the 14 kilometres in a couple hours. It was harder than we expected, because despite being flat, it’s made from cobblestones, so it’s a pretty tiring, bumpy ride. Doing the ride at dusk was a good idea as we got to see the city from all angles as the sun set.
Another day we visited the Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang and his Terracotta Army where the excavations are still ongoing to uncover literally thousands of life-size sculptures of soldiers, chariots and horses.