We spent the whole day at The Summer Palace, and every turn or climb into the hills presents you with a cornucopia of fresh sights. It has been developed over the centuries, being enlarged by Emperor Quinling in the 1700s, rebuilt in the late 1800s, and restored after partial destruction in 1900 by invaders from 1949 to the present day.

The entrance seems fairly straightforward, with a dragon or two, a temple, and incense burners, but we took a right fork in the path and ended up in an enchanting and secluded park. A lake surrounded by a covered walkway and small resting areas was the focal point, and we were lucky enough to share our experience with a small group of musicians who serenaded our inspection of the grounds. The park had numerous bridges, hidden walkways, and loads of wildlife. Long-tailed birds consistently avoided my camera by hopping behind bushes or flying off at just the wrong moment, squirrels were braver, and fish leapt out of the water for non-seconds.

Meandering round the park, we found numerous pagodas, and a climb to the top of a hill revealed the full extent of the summer palace to us. It is massive! Spread before us from the topmost pagoda was a huge lake (apparently this takes up three-fourths of the park), some incredible buildings, and amazing-looking bridges. And the great thing was that they were shrouded in a light mist that gave the park a sense of mysticism. Perfect for the amateur photographer with a new camera!

We were following our instincts, as we didn’t have a map; below us was a superb residence, and we were stepping between the roofs of individual pagodas. Never before had we got this close to the ornate tiling and "status figures" that cling to the eaves. In fact, one very narrow staircase took us to within touching distance of the roofs of three pagodas.

A walk along Changlang, a 700m, ornate covered corridor on the north shore of the lake is a must, and we were enchanted by the beautiful ceiling paintings. In the distance was the appropriately named 17-arch bridge, whilst in the foreground a smaller bridge (which could have been taken from the Willow Pattern ceramic design). We strode purposefully to the bridges, passing through several temples on route, watching the lone boatman clearing the driftwood from the lake, mesmerised by the kite fliers on the bridge, and awestruck by the guy pavement painting calligraphy (two brushes at the same time!).

Beautiful buildings with dazzling decoration, sensational statues of mythical animals, fine frescoes, sensational scenery, and wonderful wildlife are all part of a visit to The Summer Palace. It’s an absolute must.

We saw the key things in a couple of hours. I found it funny that every sign that explained the history read something like, "Built in 1800; burnt down by Anglo-French forces in 1850; rebuilt in 1890!" It's like they seriously don't like the English or French, which the American I was with thought was very funny (me being English and all that!).