Salt Life

First full day in Moscow

Going down into the Metro System (no photos allowed-iPhone came in handy here!)


Chris & Dave spent an afternoon scoping out the city, Arbat Street in particular


Moscow Harley Davidson - T-shirts, $90!


McDonald's was Chris' favorite find!


Starbucks! The only one in Moscow, or Russia for that matter I think!


We ended the day with dinner out at Sbarro's (the boys had their first pizza and ice cream & loved it!).


We got up early and had a delicious FREE breakfast in the very nice breakfast room....ham, egg dish, diced potatoes, croissant, coffee -- NOT instant, yay! Slaws were available, but I passed on them:) We met a very nice Canadian couple and chatted for a few minutes and then made a dash to the lobby to catch the 9 a.m. shuttle.

He hadn't arrived yet so we looked at the souvenirs and found the exact pocket knife we were looking for for Ben. It was a small switch-blade with CCCP on it and it even had a lighter! We asked if the desk could hold it for us and told them we were leaving on the shuttle for the metro station.

"Oh, there's no shuttle today. He's having car trouble," the employee told us. WHAT??? We went to the desk and spoke with reception. It was confirmed. Oh, and by the way, it doesn't operate on the weekend, oh and did we mention it's a holiday weekend? There'll be no shuttle until next TUESDAY!!!! I wanted to cry right then and there!

We had no choice, so we started out for the closest bus station. We walked about a block, took the underground to cross the busy street, then walked about another half-block to the 244 or 76 pick up. At least we had a pass now!

We jumped on the 244 with a boatload of Muscovites, enduring the smell of what each of them had had for breakfast that morning--probably something consisting of sausages and garlic, just a guess. Due to the fact that the bus was at maximum capacity, we were forced to stand, all the while taking in the additional aroma of everyone's armpits minus any Right Guard! Did I mention the temperature inside the bus had to be near 90º? Try standing in that for 45 minutes with no hope of removing any of your winter gear!

I gulped back the gut-wrenching sensation to cry or vomit. It took everything in me to do so.

We finally disembarked and made the short walk to VDNKH for another excruciating leg of our trip to the Marriott. I'd heard about the rush hour commute in Moscow, but you have to experience first hand it to fully appreciate it. I never knew so many people could fit onto one of these trains.

By the time we arrived at the hotel it had taken us two hours to travel about 7 miles. We knocked on their hotel room door before sliding the room key they had given us. No one was in the room; they were on the 4th floor lobby area giving the boys a little exercise. I was relieved. It gave me a moment to melt down without them having to witness it! I sat on the bed and sobbed!!

After washing my face and pulling myself together, we met them on the 4th floor. The sight of my nephews helped bring perspective. What a joy it was to feel their little arms around my neck and kisses on my cheek! I was still a bit emotional when sharing our nightmare with Penny, but she was so comforting. I used the free internet to email my mom and boo-hoo a bit, asking people to step it up on their prayers! It was therapeutic and as the day went I felt better about our plight. It was all part of God's plan for us and He was about to use it to teach me some great lessons.

Penny, the boys, and I had some lunch from the little grocery and then put the kiddo's down for a nap (while we napped alongside!). The "big boys" then started out for a little adventure of their own.

They went to Arbat Street, a famous shopping district, but only after searching for and finding the only Harley Davidson store in the country. That was a real highlight for them! On Arbat, they enjoyed McDonald's and Starbuck's, giving them a little taste of what was waiting for them back in America!

They made it back to the hotel in time for dinner. We took the underground and walked about a block to Sbarro's. More American fare! It was actually Roman and Jadon's very first taste of pizza. They loved it! For dessert, we got them a little cup of Basking Robbins (doesn't quite taste the same in Russia!)--their first ice cream....that they loved, too.

Once back in their room, we gave Roman a bath, put them both in their pj's and kissed them goodnight. We were ready to tackle the long trip back to Maxima Slavia!

Labels: adoption

posted by Kushmama @ 8:32 AM