First Full Day in Jinan

It is amazing to know that we are in the same city as Peter! And it is surreal knowing that tomorrow we will finally meet our son whom we have loved from the moment we were matched with him six months ago and whom we have prayed for over the past 11 months since we began the adoption process. I can't wait to hold him in my arms tomorrow.

Today, we started out our adventures in true Matt and Allie fashion - with delicious cuisine. My favorite breakfast food was a hot bowl of hand-made noodles cooked with fresh greens, with a variety of chili pastes and sesame oil in the broth. Yum! Our hotel's breakfast buffet contained western items plus a wide array of traditional and flavorful Chinese foods that, from my noodle bowl description, you can probably tell are what Americans may consider to be like dinner entrees. 

During the day, we explored Jinan on foot.  

First, we walked around the city square that runs along the river:

Then,we spent most of our morning walking around the beautiful Baotu Springs park. This expansive park is filled with koi ponds; water falls; rock formations; and walking trails that wind around bamboo, weeping willows, pine trees, maples, flower gardens and other lush vegetation. The main attraction of the park is the three-pronged Baotu Springs area framed by ornate traditional style architecture:

We also walked to Daming Lake on the other side of the downtown area:

Next, we got a late lunch in town by pointing out our selections to very nice servers in a cafeteria style restaurant:

We finished up our day by walking to the local Walmart (I'm not kidding) to purchase supplies for our orphanage visit tomorrow!