4 August 2003 - No announcements other than that we are happy to see that "Kemerovo Online" is back, (albeit with a new name)! This is by far, one of the best sites that we have seen on Kemerovo thus far.
7 August 2003 - For those of you who may be thinking that we will be traveling in "luxury" let me share with you a photo that was posted on one of the Kemerovo/Russian Adoption forums. It is a "top-down" photo detailing the amount of leg-space on an average Russian domestic flight.
Hey, at least they've got seatbelts (which is more than I can say about the average auto rental in Mexico)!
14 August 2003 - We fly out on...
18 August 2003 - ...Tuesday! We fly out on Tuesday (tomorrow)! If I can arrange to get my notebook connected to the internet, I will try to keep this page updated with photos and news. Until then, here are a couple maps showing the region in which we will be residing.
This is truly a journey that will take us to the ends of the earth!
- Overview
- Zoom - Level One (note the location of China)
- Zoom - Level Two
The bags are packed and we are counting the hours until we return home.
19 August 2003 - Our ride to the airport will be here in 30 minutes. We fly out a few hours after that. Someone pinch me. ...no, really, pinch me. I think my arm has gone numb from carrying our bags down the stairs. Later all!
20 August 2003 - Arrived at Moscow Airport after many hours traveling.
Melynn took this photo showing how close other cars would get to us in their never ending attempts to share a single lane with another vehicle! Interesting traffic to say the least!
Here is a photo of our room with my back facing the corner to the right of our window. Note the mattresses that cup around your body (after two nights of sleeping on them, we have decided that these are either actually quite comfortable, or we are just too tired to notice).
21 August 2000 - Our first full day with a fantastic tour guide (Sasha) escorting us through Moscow's very efficient mass transit system! It rained on and off and was overcast most all day but we made the most of it as you can see.
Here we stand on the escalator (Sasha with the beard is in front, on our left). These tunnels go DEEP, very VERY deep, in fact they were designed to be used to double as fallout shelters. One of the escalators took nearly three minutes from top to bottom! I call it the ride to hell because it is very hot and humid down at the subway platforms.
Here is a good example of one of the many subway stations (not all are this ornate, but the majority are). This particular one is lined with mosaics between the entrances of the boarding areas. Note the mosaic of a past leader at the end of the area.
Though this web photo lacks detail, it is one of many mosaics that may be found within the subway station pictured above. Most every subway station is decorated in a different motif depicting Russian life, heros, or paying tribute to the arts.
Here is a sample of artwork at yet another subway station
Nothing can express the surreal feeling of emerging from the subway, rounding a corner, and finding yourself standing in Red Square!
Here is the "Tomb of the Unkown" (note the eternal flame in the center). This is a popular place for newly married couples to come and place flowers. We stuck around long enough to watch the changing of the guard.
22 August 2003 - I am able to access the internet with my notebook, but at the same rate as internet access on their PCs. I have downloaded this site so I can modify it offline, then upload changes to it later. We have one more day in Moscow and fly out to Kemerovo on Saturday evening. Kemerovo is where we will meet the baby.
Having a wonderful time touring landmarks and taking many photos. Hope to have some posted here soon, all others will be burned to CD for slideshow for later viewing. Here are two for now.
Did you ever wonder what happened to Russia's Space Shuttle after it's test flights? Here it sits as an attraction at Moscow's Gorky Park! Some parts have been replicated, to eliminate any potential hazards, but this is the real McCoy!
Here was the nighttime view from our window. The large white building is Russia's "White House".
Here is a very wide panoramic of the view of Moscow from Moscow University, one of the highest points overlooking the area. Red Square would be in the distance, just right of center. If you can find the two red/white smoke stacks to the left of the stadium, our hotel would be the tall fuzzy tower to the left of them. I'll have a high resolution version of this on the CD for viewing later.
What a breathtaking view of the city! It was hazy but we could make out some of the landmarks that we had visited including the hotel where we are staying.
This is one of my favorite Russian dishes called "Pelmeni". It consists of some type of broth, dumplings stuffed with some kind of meat/s, mushrooms, sour cream and dill. Despite the words "broth" and "meat" not being very well defined, I find it very tasty!
This is one of many sections inside of GUM, the largest mall in Moscow. That's Melynn looking down at me from the second floor walkway.
