Great Wall of China

On my last full day in China, a trip to the Great Wall was required.  We went to a site called Mutianyu which was a bit further away from Beijing, but it was still pretty touristy with many vendors available for souvenir purchases, a couple places to get a bite to eat, and even a spot to slide down from the great wall to a nearby parking lot.  I'm sure that part wasn't original.  :)

Being on the wall allowed for some great views.  This was one of the openings from a lookout tower on the wall.  Almost every opening had fantastic views of the wall or the surrounding landscape.

At the top, the wall was 5 meters wide allowing for many people to easily walk between towers. Signal towers were used at high points to communicate oncoming advancements along large wall sections.

Openings in the walls itself framed the nearby terrain.  I love the layers of mountains that are visible in this shot.  I'm sure the rope lights were a recent addition.