Drum and Bell Tower

To get there: Line 2 -Qianmen

Gulou (Drum) and Zhonglou(Bell) were musical instruments in ancient China. They were later used to keep time.

The Drum Tower was closed for renovation, but we got to enter the Bell Tower. To get to the top of the tower you have to climb a steep stone staircase. Once you reach the top you find a huge bell. The bell is made of copper and has wooden logs hanging on the side that were used to ring the bell. You also get a bird's eye view of the city including the Hutongs.

After our trip to the towers we headed for some bowling action at 'Gongti 100' on Gongti Xilu.This place has around 100 lanes and is filled with young and old people who love the game.

Later we headed to the beautiful Ritan Park in the evening.  Played  UNO and dumb charades. Enjoyed the weather, also got to watch people dance,fly kites and have a good time.

We ended our day with some Al fresco dinner at 'Sim Sim' a Russian Restaurant right opposite the North Gate of the Ritan Park. The food was delicious! Great ambiance too! Stuffed ourselves and headed home...

(There are a lot of Russian restaurants near Ritan park and also the popular shopping market at Yabaolu- worth a visit if you are in the area)