First Day

Today will be our first full day in China.  We got a pretty good night's sleep last night; went to bed at right before 8pm and woke up at 6 am this morning.  Our internal clocks must've told us it was time to get up because we knew the breakfast buffet started at 6.  We enjoyed every bit of it, and were definitely hungry after going to sleep so early and not eating anything since our last meal on the plane.     They had an awesome variety of food, and we started off with plates of fried rice, fried noodles, and dumplings.  It was pretty surreal to be in China eating real Chinese food. They also had some fresh fruit, and we did remember to stay away from anything that would've been washed (no apples, etc...) and stuck to watermelon and oranges.  Then we found the omelette bar - very nice to have a touch of home.  I was also very pleased to see the waitress come by with coffee - what a relief!!!  We tried to eat as much as we could as I'm not sure what are options are the rest of the day.  At orientation they will tell us where there is  a little supermarket where we can stock up on snacks, etc....  Our room does  have a mini fridge, but we're trying to stay away from the $4 bottles of Evian, etc..   We have our orientation at 10, and then the acrobatic show in the afternoon.  The next two days after that are jam-packed, with visits to the Great Wall, the Cloissone Factory, Tianamen Square, the Forbidden City, and a Hutong Tour.  Today will probably be our most restful day.  We're actually surprised that we're not totally wiped out, but I think the adrenaline does keep you going when you're on the trip of a lifetime.  We're really glad that we're doing the Beijing tour, which the adoption agency recommends as a way to know your child's country and get a taste of their culture.  I love that I will be able to share the pictures and some of the history with Abby - and maybe someday we get to bring her here too!!!   I'm posting some pictures of the view from our hotel room window.  I'm not sure if they'll show up on the top of the page or the bottom, and I can't see my blog from here - I have to email my entries in.  I'm sure you'll all figure it out.  I haven't gotten any other pictures yet just because we were rushing so much at the airport yesterday.  Once we start touring, I'll be posting a lot more.   And to my  sweeties at home - I love you and miss you and I'm thinking about you every minute!!!!!!