Trip to Russia. The Last Day in Moscow and Departure

Trip to Russia. The Last Day in Moscow and Departure

Our last day. We visited my mom and my brother. This has been their place for the last ten years. Maybe because mom and I have lived apart for so long I still do not completely accept her relocation. It feels like she is still 

Trip to Russia. Day 10. Saint Petersburg. Peterhof. Hermitage

Trip to Russia. Day 10. Saint Petersburg. Peterhof. Hermitage

The previous day, we probably walked the most on this trip. Naturally, we slept, as they say in Russia, without our hind legs. Worked out horses sleep with their hind legs so relaxed that, once awake, they can only get on their front ones and 

Trip to Russia. Day 9. Saint Petersburg. Along Nevsky Prospect to Vasilyevsky Island

Trip to Russia. Day 9. Saint Petersburg. Along Nevsky Prospect to Vasilyevsky Island

“If the weather is so good, Petersburg is so unfamiliar to you that you certainly want to walk, you will not regret. I advise you to always start from the Lavra…”                              

Trip to Russia. Day 8. Along the Golden Ring through Pereslavl-Zalesski to the train from Moscow to Saint Petersburg

Trip to Russia. Day 8. Along the Golden Ring through Pereslavl-Zalesski to the train from Moscow to Saint Petersburg

Our last morning of the Golden Ring trip was in Pereslavl-Zalessky, an old Russian city about 140 km, 87 miles, northeast of Moscow. It was founded by the same prince, Yuri Dolgoruky, and at the same time, as Moscow. In 1374, an important congress of 

Trip to Russia. Day 7. Back to the Golden Ring — Yaroslavl, Rostov the Great

Trip to Russia. Day 7. Back to the Golden Ring — Yaroslavl, Rostov the Great

Leaving the Myshkin house, with its overgrown garden was not easy. In the morning, we walked around quite a bit taking pictures. It was sad knowing that most likely we will never come back here again. The world is big and time is scarce. Final 

Trip to Russia. Day 6. Myshkin — Volga, Banya, Vodka

Trip to Russia. Day 6. Myshkin — Volga, Banya, Vodka

— Go look around the house. It’s different in the morning, — Tanya said when I waddled into the kitchen still in my pajamas. It was. At night, the circle of chairs in the living room on the second floor set the mood for a conversation 

Trip to Russia. Day 5. Motley Crew Hits the Road. The Golden Ring  Fragments — Sergiev Posad, Kalyazin, Uglich,  Myshkin

Trip to Russia. Day 5. Motley Crew Hits the Road. The Golden Ring Fragments — Sergiev Posad, Kalyazin, Uglich, Myshkin

The business of renting a car in Moscow is not for the faint at heart. Last night, we tried so many different places, even Charlotte without much Russian found a few numbers to call. It seemed like car rental offices in Moscow did not have 

Trip to Russia. Day 4. Moscow. Down through the Underground to the Not Good Apartment

Trip to Russia. Day 4. Moscow. Down through the Underground to the Not Good Apartment

Fourth day was the day to take care of business and renew my papers. Most of it was spent in Soviet style offices waiting on line, curtsying, smiling, providing champagne and candy to grouchy officials who didn’t even notice me. Nothing changed in that department. 

Trip to Russia. Day 3. Moscow. Up North to the Soviet showcase. Back to the Boulevard Ring

Trip to Russia. Day 3. Moscow. Up North to the Soviet showcase. Back to the Boulevard Ring

When someone asks me about my roots, it feels odd to say I am from Russia. I am Russian but from the Soviet Union. To me, Russia before the Soviet Union, the Soviet Union, and Russia after the Soviet Union are three different countries. My 

Trip to Russia. Day 2. Moscow. Off to the left, through Sparrow Hills to the City

Trip to Russia. Day 2. Moscow. Off to the left, through Sparrow Hills to the City

“If you want to see a city like a local and understand it, visit a market, a train station, and a cemetery.”