We had to get up early in the morning to begin a very varied day. Our first destination was the visit at the Swiss Castro Bakery. The Company wants to establish high quality bread according to the European standard in China. To get an insight into the production process of the Swiss Gastro Bakery, we were guided by Mr. Weih and his assistant through the whole production plant. The supply chain of the firm was an interesting topic. The major challenge in the supply chain is the unsteady quality of the goods supplied. After the tour we were invited to enjoy a variety of excellent bakery products. After a short lunch at the canteen of the Swiss Gastro Bakery we were heading to the Great Wall.
After a two-hour ride by coach we finally reached the most expected attraction of the day, the Great Wall. To save time we used the cable car to reach the start point of our walk on the Great Wall. Unfortunately, the weather was quite bad and the heavy rain showers made the hike adventurous. In contrast the owners of the tourist shops were very happy about that, because they made a big business in selling Ponchos. In spite of the Ponchos, most of us where already wet when the cable car arrived at the top. Nevertheless we started our walk in the rain on the Great Wall. Because of the fog the view was not very nice. It was planned to walk about 3 hours on the wall for meeting at Simatai. Because of a delay we had to turn around at the middle of the walk. Completely wet und pretty exhausted we were meeting up in the restaurant near the car park. Watching at photos of the Great Wall, we got an idea how it would look like with good weather conditions. Meanwhile we enjoyed a strengthening meal and had a pleasant time. After the meal the coach took us back to the center of Beijing.
Back in Beijing we made a quick stop at the Olympic Park, where the Olympic Games in 2008 took place. The Highlight was the enlightened stadium known as the „Bird’s Nest“. A few photos and some footsteps later we finally arrived at the hotel. One part of the group decided to catch some sleep, while the rest preferred enjoying nightlife in Beijing. Finally, we were able to get some lasting impressions during that day.