A Miserable Day

It was a Sunday morning at Jinshan Park, across from the northern walls of the Forbidden City in Beijing. We went because it was snowing and wanted to see the palace in that weather—and get a few photos before it turned into a mess.

At first it was perfect: quiet, fine snow, the roofs slowly turning white, and us happily freezing our fingers off behind the camera. But it was November, and the light snow soon started mixing with rain; the paths turned into slush, our feet got wet, and the idea of heading back suddenly sounded wise.

You need to understand, this was still the pre‑app era, so getting a taxi meant standing by the road and waving at cars like an idiot. Eventually a makeshift covered motorcycle pulled over, and the driver calmly asked for about 10 euros for a ride that usually cost under 2. We hesitated, declined, and ended up with this picture that summed up the day: wet street, half‑snow, half‑rain, a lone passer‑by with an umbrella, and a sad abandoned bicycle wheel leaning against the fence—about as successful as our return home plans.