Day 1 in Kyoto

Well, after a full day of sightseeing, the verdict is in, and everyone still loves Japan. Kyoto definitely fufills the expectations that we all had. The city is mix of classic Japanes architecture, concrete, and power lines. Everyone is constantly pointing, laughing, and getting way-to-excited over small things like streetsigns, the different types of cars (which, by the way, seriously put most of what we have in the states to shame), and anything/everything that grabs their attention. Although the computer I'm on won't let me upload pictures, today was full of some amazing sites. We toured the Rokuon-Ji Temple (aka: The Golden Pavillion); spent a few hours at the Kiyomizu-Dera (a gorgeous complex of temples and shrines scattered across a forested hillside outside of Kyoto...great views...great pics); went to another shrine (which for the life of me, I can't remember the name); and finally, went to a small, beautiful part of town known which is famous for it's Geishas. Seeing a Geisha is very rare...but, we were actually fortunate enough to see two! Everyone was pretty excited and a few of us were able to snap a quick picture or two as they glided by. After that, was dinner at a well-known ramen shop (which was a bit of an adventure) followed by an hour or so of some shopping in the touristy/commercial district by our hotel. All in all, a busy day. Everyone's tired, everyone's happy. Tomorrow, we are off on a bullet train (and then a ferry) to the Island of Miyajima.
I will post some pictures as soon as I am able.

So far, so good...