By Any Other Name Would Smell As Sweet

Sometimes when traveling far way to new lands, it's easy to get caught up in the splendor of giant landmarks and natural wonders. I'm guilty of this occasionally as well, as I often have a couple cameras on me, ready to capture everything and everyone, but I always try to step back to 'stop and smell the roses' so to speak. You can only see so much from within the confines of your camera's viewfinder that you really do need to take time to enjoy the moment and remember it in your mind as much as in your memory card.

Taking a day trip the Great Wall in Beijing was the highlight of my short time in China my first time there. Beijing is actually ridiculously huge as you can drive for an hour at highway speeds and still not hit the city limits. On the way to the Great Wall my tour guide took me to the Temple of Heaven where I found this and many other beautiful roses.

A rose outside the Temple of Heaven.