I woke up this morning in the most populous city (proper) in the world expecting more noise. At 7:30 AM (7:30 PM, Kentucky time), Sunday morning, only tiny intermittent sounds of bicycle bells, a whoosh of a moped every few seconds, and sneezes from walkers along the street below. My husband, Kevin, and I are staying at a nice, simple, hotel at Shanghai University, on one of the many campuses.

At breakfast in the hotel, there was a choice of American breakfast or Chinese. We both chose the American--fried eggs, toast, and coffee. Tomorrow I’ll have the Chinese one, a hard-boiled egg, congee, (porridge), and another dish that I couldn’t make out from where we were sitting.

Took Metro to Shanghai Museum, walked through People’s Park, followed by an experience of sensory overload unmatched by anything I have ever experienced in my life (including the markets of Pusan, South Korea, Times Square at New Year’s, Mardi Gras)--a walk down Nanjing Road all the way to The Bund, where we watched barge traffic moving at a good clip along Huangpu River. On the promenade below, a group of Chinese students hugged the Bund Financial Bull. He’s the same as New York City’s Charging Bull, except reddish as a tribute to this country, and leans to the right instead of to the left. His tail is different. We ate an early dinner at Shanghai Grandmother that was so good I can’t even describe just yet. Jet-lagging. Back at the hotel, I am still thinking about the enormous aquarium wall window display where a crowd gathered to look at sharks and hammerheads, and in the next block, windows filled with designer silk dresses.

This is my first blog ever.