Our First Day in China

Wow, I thought we were tired last night! They kept us moving all day long. We started our day with a great breakfast buffet in our hotel.Then we went to Tiananmen Square. We are a group of 73 people, (all adopting through America World Adoption Agency) so we split into two groups, each group filling a bus! After Tiananmen Square (where we were warned ahead of time not to ask about anything political), we walked all the through the Forbidden City. Everything is in the process of being restored in preparation for the 2008 Olympics, being held in Beijing. One of the pictures we posted is a countdown to the Olympics. After the Forbidden City, we went out to lunch for some great Chinese food! (nothing like Panda Express, which was disappointing for Riley and Alyssa!) After lunch,we visited a pearl factory and then went to the Summer Palace. The picture of the boat is at the Summer Palace, it is made completely out of marble. Does that sound like enough for one day?? Guess again! We then went to a silk factory, which we also posted a picture of. We were able to buy a couple of Chinese traditional silk dresses for Addison. After the silk factory we went out for dinner and had a traditional Peking Duck dinner. Russ liked most of the food they served us, and it was a TON of food! Alyssa, Riley and I tried some new things, but our favorite thing was the chocolate ice cream at the end! We are finally back at our hotel, and once again, we are all exhausted.......you know it's bad when Riley asks to go to bed!! So that's all for tonight......hope to post again tomorrow! (and less then 48 hours to go until Addison!!! )