Russia 2010 Day 8 – First Class Interloper

Jan. 11, 2010 - Late Jan. 10, I packed by bags for the long journey home. We planned to leave for the airport by 8:45 a.m. the next morning. Our time in Moscow passed more quickly than expected; full days made time fly. My bags were stuffed with dirty clothes and souvenirs; my heart was filled with joy and memories.

During our entire time in Russia, Muscovites were enjoying their New Year’s and Christmas holidays. All the business men, office workers, teachers, professors and government workers were returning to their jobs on Jan. 11. The streets and freeways were jammed with to the airport as quickly a possible – for a few moments we thought we might not get there quickly enough.

Finally there, our group experienced multiple levels of security – including a full body scan (back-scatter x-ray) and a pat down. Get ready … the full body scan is coming to an airport near you sooner or later. At the check-in counter I received good news – Delta had given me a free upgrade. I would be flying Business Elite/First Class from Moscow to New York. The words were music to my ears. I would have a comfortable seat, leg room and the opportunity to sleep. I didn’t even think about the opportunity of eating better food.

Soon we were on the plane. Sitting next to me was Ms. Lucy – the wonderful 73 year-old woman on our team. She had received a free upgrade as well. Lucy deserved it. She didn’t just keep up with the group; she set the pace.

A collection of accoutrements greeted me at my big, leather seat. There was a feather pillow, a real blanket and a bag containing lotions, dental products, lip balm, socks, ear plugs, etc. Soon we were taxiing down the runway perusing a fancy lunch menu and reading The Moscow Times. Then the crew brought us warm towels.

Lunch was three courses. First they brought a tray with grilled shrimp, salad and soup. It was great. For the entre, I ordered a steak. It was very good. The third course was a choice between a fruit and cheese plate or an ice cream sundae. I chose option three – sleep.

I slept a bit, but not was much as you would think. I was too excited to be in First Class and there was too much to do. My seat’s personal entertainment center had a number of albums I wanted to hear. It also had about 15 movies to choose from, but nothing I was really interested in seeing. During the 9 ½ hour flight I slept about two or three hours.

The seat was comfy, the music was enjoyable and even though I didn’t sleep a lot, it was a good flight (as far as day-long flights go).

We had a short layover in New York and unfortunately my interloping was over. One moment I was living like a Tsar; the next I had returned to serfdom. From New York to Atlanta and Atlanta to New Orleans, I was back in Economy where I belong.

It was after 11:30 p.m. by the time I got to my house. I got out of bed at 6:30 a.m. Moscow time – I had been traveling at least 25 hours. Ahhhh! Nothing fits like your own bed.

Christmas in Moscow Day 7 – Church at the Vet’s Office

Jan. 10 – Our Last Full Day in Moscow - On Sunday, our team split into to three groups to attend different churches in the Moscow area. I went to a church in northwest Moscow with three other team members. It was located near the last stop on the Green Line of the Metro. The church is named after the area in which it is located – Golovinsky. New Orleans Seminary has been praying for this church from its beginning. Teams from the seminary have prayerwalked and distributed flyers in the area and played baseball with children and teens in a nearby park. The church started in an apartment and during its short time as a church, the group has met in a number of different locations. This is a common problem in Moscow. New churches often have to move numerous times. Leases come and go without much warning.
   
Currently, the church meets in the second floor lobby of a garage and veterinary clinic – yes, a veterinary clinic. We don’t have garages like this in New Orleans. People from apartments nearby store their cars here because of limited parking availability and the cold weather. They walk or take a bus to the garage when they need their cars. It is a unique place for a church.

Wait, it gets better. The vet’s office is not closed on Sundays. During the service, people bring in their pets – dogs, cats, ferrets, you name it – walk beside the rows of chairs to vet’s door back of the meeting room.

The service started with singing – a woman sang while a man played the accordion. The music and singing was good. I especially enjoyed hearing “Silent Night” sang in Russian. Then there was a time of open testimony. Several people shared. Prayers were offered between testimonies.

It was during this testimony time that the first pet owner entered with his pet. He was not the last to bring in a pet. As they walked in with dog, cat or ferret in hand (or crate), the pet owners would look at whoever was speaking, praying or singing.

This was a not so subtle reminder that the church is not the building – the church is the people. Oh, if the American church could understand this principle. Would we see more churches sharing their buildings? Would we see more churches renting public spaces? Anyway, my concept of church grew that day. It was refreshing to see a church meeting in a dingy, reception hall – a church not tucked away from the world, but visible, if only to pet owners visiting the vet that day.
   
Back to the Market
After church, we headed back to the souvenir marketing at Izmailovo. I found out that it is called the Vernisage. It is part of a complex known as the Izmailovo Kremlin (http://kremlin-izmailovo.com/Souvenir-Market-English). Dr. Roudkovski raved about the shashlik (grilled, skewered meat) at the market. He said it was the most authentic shashlik he had found. So we went to try it.

All of us bought lamb shashliks hot off a wood-fired grill. The vendor sent us upstairs to a second-floor dining area and told us she would bring us our food. It was like stepping out of the 21st Century and into a scene straight out of a Dostoevsky novel. The rustic dining area was filled with small wooden tables and chairs. The room was dimly lit and there was no heat. As we sat at a corner table and waited for our food our warm breath was visible in the frigid air. Steam billowed from the cups of hot tea on our table.

A man, probably a craft vendor, leaned around a small partition and extended a small bottle of vodka. He was Russian, but spoke in his best American slang, “Would you guys like to warm up?”

“No, thanks,” I said.

Soon our plates arrived and I quickly discovered that this indeed was the best shashlik in the city. The lamb meat was high quality, better than any I’ve had in the U.S., except for the lamb we raised on our farm when I was a boy.

When we finished eating a babushka cleared our plates. Apparently she cleared tables for tips. We were impressed with her work ethic. Dr. Roudkovski tried to give her a good tip, but she won’t take his first amount. She said it was too much. He finally convinced her to take a second amount. Then they had a deep conversation in Russian. I didn’t ask what was said and he didn’t tell us what was said, but it seemed spiritual in nature. Her eyes were tired, but kind.

The whole thing – the room, the food, the steaming cups of tea, the tromping of boots on the wooden floor – reminded me of scenes in rustic inns and upstairs garrets from Crime and Punishment, Brothers Karamozov and The Idiot. It was a neat experience.

Christmas in Moscow Day 6

Jan. 9 – Russia capitalism - Saturday was our souvenir shopping day, so at 9 a.m. we walked to the large, outdoor souvenir market and flea market (Izmailovo Market) near our hotel. This is the biggest market of its type in the city. Some of the buildings are built to look like the Moscow Kremlin, others resemble old, wooden Orthodox churches and summer cabins. It is a neat place.

Most of the market has new items, but there is a section of used items and army surplus. There were lots of old icons – some painted, some made of brass. I was tempted to bargain for one, but I bought an old brass icon here in 2005. They also had many items from World War II – Soviet and Germany. I guess many of the items have been picked from the battlefield. I moved on.

My interesting purchases
First off, I purchased a leather bag. It appears to be army surplus. The bag has lots of interesting details. It looks like it could have been used by someone who filed out reports. The soldier who patrol the Moscow Metro carry similar bags. However, I’m not sure it is large enough to be acceptable in America. We’ll see.

I also bought an Oklahoma Sooners football nesting doll set. I was amazed to see it had the current players – it even had Landry Jones, who played this year due to Sam Bradford’s injury.

The rest of my purchases must remain secret until I get home. It was almost fun to bargain with the vendors, but that outside my comfort zone.

Church Service at Dedication -- The Best Part
On Christmas day (Thursday) we handed out invitations to attend Dedication Church. While passing out the invitations, we experienced a good bit of rejection.

The church was having a special Christmas drama during the service today and an evangelistic message by Dr. Roudkovski. I think the flyers said something to that effect.

This church is only 50 days old and usually has 15-20 people. On this day, they had their largest crowd. The drama was performed by members of other churches that meet in the Christian Center. It was a bit cheesy. Then Dr. Roudkovski spoke.

During the invitation, one man came forward and prayed to receive Christ. Dr. Roudkovski told everyone about how to be saved and told them the sinner’s prayer. He said that during the fellowship time (tea, cookies, candies and small sandwiches) anyone who wanted to know more could talk to one of the pastors. Two ladies talked with one of the pastors and prayed to receive Christ. At least one of the ladies got the flyer in the McDonald’s where we headed them out. How cool is that?
During the offering a little girl ran up and dropped something in the basket. It was piece of candy – it looks a little like a Toostie Roll. The little girl gave what she had, and she gave sacrificially. It was sweet.

Saying dasveedanya (goodbye) to Dedication Church was difficult. We had spent a good part of three days with these people and we had experienced their love. After many hugs and hand shakes we went to Rhenn and Terry Cherry’s apartment for pizza and fellowship. And just like that, we were on the home stretch of our trip. It was been a good one.

Christmas Day 5 Part 2

Jan.8 -- Christ the Savior Cathedral, Kazan Cathedral and Red Square

After lunch we were off to see Christ the Savior Cathedral. The original building was built to commemorate the Russian victory over Napoleon.

Stalin destroyed the original building 1931 to build a massive monument to Communism. The structure would have been topped with a colossal 328 ft. tall statue of Vladimir Lenin. The Russian economy dropped just after the foundation was poured and the plan was scrapped. Instead, the Communists opened a large, heated swimming pool on the site.

From 1994-1997, the Cathedral was rebuilt using the original plans and scale models. It was financed through private donations – no government funds were used. It is magnificent.

Next we returned to Red Square and attended a portion of the Orthodox service at Kazan Cathedral. We stayed for about 25 minutes of the hour-long service. Participants stand throughout the Russian Orthodox service … there are no pew or chairs. A small group of men and women sang a few songs. There were no instruments. Some of the Russian worshippers sang along with the group. Worshippers often made the sign of the cross and bowed. One by one, worshippers lit candles. The faint sound of crackling, burning candles could be heard throughout our time there (candles are always burning in front of icons in active churches).

Later, the priest came out from behind the altar piece (iconostasis) and chanted in ancient Russian from a text. He went back behind the altar. More singing from the group. Another priest emerged and read/chanted a rather long text. Each time the priests chanted, they continued to chant until they were behind the altar piece. The priests never faced us. The whole service had the marks of antiquity. These were early, ancient traditions dating from the days of the Byzantine Empire. I prayed silently during the service. It was an interesting experience.

We didn’t stay for the incense, but I witnessed that portion of the service during my last trip to Russia. Priests burn incense in metal containers and spread the smoke throughout the church.

Red Square was magical at night. For the New Year’s and Christmas holiday, an ice skating rink had been constructed near the middle of the square. The square was filled with people. It was only 5:30 p.m., but it was already dark. St. Basil’s and the Kremlin tower were stunning at night.

We ate Russian food at Canteen No. 57, a cafe in the GUM. While the GUM has mostly overpriced, high end Western stores, this café was very reasonable. The food was great. I had a pork chop and boiled buckwheat (a Russian staple), a piece of black bread and hot tea.

This day was all about Russian culture and I really enjoyed learning about the rich history of this proud people. They have endured many bad forms of government and many wars. I am amazed that they endure these cold winters each year. It was another good day.

Christmas in Moscow – Day 5 Part One

Jan. 8 – Kremlin Tour

Day five of our journey (Day four in Moscow) may have been the most difficult day physically. It was our tourist day. Touring is a difficult task, especially after so many busy days of mission work.

We left the hotel at 9 a.m. and returned about 10 p.m. A good portion of the day was outside. And guess what … it was cold and snowy.

We rode the Metro to the stop near Red Square and made our way to the Kremlin. Our guide’s name was Julia. She was very knowledge, witty and had a great smile. Julia’s English was excellent. She studied linguistics at Moscow State University. According to Julia, Moscow State trains all of Russia’s diplomatic translators, however those jobs are reserved for men.

Just before we reached the Kremlin Julia stopped us near a military statue of a man riding a horse. The man was a leader in the Soviet Army during World War II. She said that 27 million Russians died in World War II. Half of those deaths were civilians. Many died at the directly at the hands of the Nazis. Others died during sieges and due to food shortages. The man on the horse helped stop the Nazi army.

Julia said her grandmother served as a surgeon’s assistant and was wounded during the war. I could tell she was proud of her grandmother’s service to her country.

It was probably 10:15 by the time we cleared Kremlin security. We saw the presidential office building, and numerous old churches located on the Kremlin grounds. We learned a little about Russia Orthodoxy during the tour … however I need to study more when I get home.

The Kremlin and its churches are very old. Much of the Kremlin dates to the late 1400 and early 1500s. Certain towers and palaces on the grounds were built in the 1600 and 1700s. The Soviets built a few buildings during their reign.

We visited the Kremlin Armory which houses the riches of the former Russian monarchy. We saw crowns, thrones, coronation dress, clothing and items given to the royal family as gifts from other nations. The collection has items from Ivan the Terrible, Peter the Great, Catherine the Great and others. One room contained many royal carriages and one royal sleigh – those were incredible.

The Armory also holds a collection of nine Frabregé eggs. Each egg has an ornate design and surprise inside. One egg contains a tiny, working model of the Trans-Siberian Railroad, another is a music box (but it did not play music by Trans-Siberian Orchestra in case you are wondering). Two other eggs caught my egg. One is called the Kremlin Egg. The top of the eggs is shaped like the onion dome of an Orthodox church, it rest on a base that is shaped like the Kremlin. The detail is amazing. Another egg had a tiny scale model of a Romanov palace.

After the Kremlin tour we had an early lunch (by Russian standards) … it was about 2 p.m. I ate a traditional Russian dish – Blimi (pancakes) with salted salmon. It was excellent.

Christmas in Moscow Day Four

Jan. 7 – Christmas Day

Our task for Thursday was our most difficult yet. We were asked to give away flyers about Dedication Church and the church’s upcoming outreach service Jan. 9 near the Metro (subway) stop. Because of the language barrier, this would be a tough task under any conditions. The weather created yet another barrier – the temperature was low, the wind chill was even low. Because of the wind and snow, Pastor Andrei decided we could give away the flyers in the mall food court.

We quickly covered the mall food court, so some of us decided to go outside and brave the weather. We stood near the Metro stop … freezing … and trying to hand out flyers. Many people would not take a flyer. Some would take the flyer and then throw it down. One group of young men took a flyer, then torn it to pieces and threw it in the air. I could tell they were mocking us. Others took the flyer and thanked us.

Pastor Andrei was moved by our willingness to stand outside in such horrible weather.

After handing out flyers, we made our way to the Christian Center where Dedication Church meets. At 3 p.m. we ate a meal (the Russia meal I have lovingly named lupper – it’s too late to call it lunch, too early to call it supper). We were served a traditional Russian meat and rice dish and an egg, cabbage and pineapple dish. I’m allergic to eggs, so I couldn’t eat the egg dish … I felt bad rejecting something. The spirit was willing to eat, but the flesh was weak. The rice dish was great. We had two very traditional drinks with our lunch – Coca-Cola followed by hot “chai” (tea).

The Russian members and attenders sang several songs and Pastor Andrei spoke briefly on the Christmas story as recorded in Matthew’s gospel. He said that we can rejoice because we have been saved from our sin and “Jesus has been born in our hearts. Christmas is a time for believers to rejoice because we know the One who has come, he said.

The second pastor, also named Andrei, should a Willow Creek video about church history and then Dr. Roudkovski, a professor at New Orleans Seminary, preached about Peter’s confession of Christ at Caesarea Phillipi.

Dr. Roudkovski talked about the imagery of the passage in Matt. 16 – the rock, representing Christ who is the foundation of the church; gates, representing the future of the victorious church; and the keys to the kingdom, representing the function of the church which is leading people to Christ. He then shared an awesome story of leading a man to Christ recently in New Orleans. The man had been considering suicide, but prayed that God would send him a reason to live in the next 24 hours. The next day Dr. Roudkovski met the man while leading a street evangelism team. That day the man found his reason to live – Jesus Christ.

After the service we had more beautiful fellowship with this group of believers. One of the ladies who attends is not yet a believer, but she seems very close to making a decision brought a handmade scarf for one of our team members. Vincent, who is only 18, didn’t bring enough warm clothes on the prayerwalk the day before. Natasha had come on the prayer walk and she noticed that Vincent was cold. That night she went home and completed a hand-knitted scarf for Vincent. I nearly cried when she gave it to him. Vincent was extremely moved. You can tell God is working in Natasha’s heart.

Christmas in Moscow Day Three

Jan. 6 – Christmas Eve

I wanted to believe that every day of our trip would be like our first day in Moscow – sunny and beautiful. All that was gone on Wednesday morning. It was windy and cold when we left our hotel. Sunrise was around 9 a.m. But on this day it never really shined.

In a way the weather served as a symbol of the issues facing Russia. Russia’s relationship with the United States, Britain and other western countries has always been strained, but recently the relationship has grown icy. The government is seeking for its own answers. They do not want westerners to interfere with their sovereignty. Alcoholism has reach epic proportions – so much so that the government recently doubled the minimum price of vodka in Russia. Also, new legislation has been proposed that would limit religious freedom (as far as I know, this legislation has yet to be made law). These are but a few of the challenges facing this vast country. And all the decisions about the future of Russia are being made here in this great and mysterious city.

Experiencing this city can be overwhelming. Between 11 and 15 million people call Moscow home. It is a bustling, busy city – both the governmental and financial center of Russia. People here seem very tense. It’s old too – over 850 years old.

Our first task for the day was to prayerwalk in central Moscow. Prayerwalking may seem like an odd thing to do. You simply walk around and observe your surroundings and pray for God’s will to be done. Our goal was to prayer walk around the Kremlin, Red Square and the Duma (Russian Parliament). The Kremlin is huge. To circle to this massive fortress is the equivalent of walking many city blocks – not too much of a challenge in perfect weather. But the weather was not perfect. It was around 10 degrees with brisk wind. Our prayerwalk was scheduled to last from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m.

As we walked around the Kremlin, Pastor Andrei – the pastor of a new church that is only 50 days old – guided our prayers. We prayed for Moscow and the other cities of Russia. We prayed for the military – that God would raise up men and women there who were bold witnesses. We prayed for the president and prime minister. We prayed that God would give the leaders wisdom. We prayed that the light of the gospel would shine bright in Moscow and all of Russia.

At this once-feared fortress we prayed the God would move in a mighty way. It was an awesome experience. As someone who remembers the dark days of the Cold War, it is hard for me to believe that I was standing next the Kremlin. I even touched the walls as I prayed for the Russian people in love. I walked through Red Square where Soviet tanks and missiles used to be paraded in front of the world as a show of strength. Now we can walk there freely and pray in the name of Christ.

About half way around the Kremlin, my toes and face were aching from the cold. I thought I knew what it was like to be cold before I came on this trip … I was wrong. Pastor Andrei often stopped to help us adjust our caps and our scarves. He was very concerned about our warmth.

The site of St. Basil’s Cathedral on Red Square was breath-taking. No photograph can do justice to the shape, color and texture of this building. At the other end of Red Square, we could see Lenin’s Tomb.

We warmed ourselves at the GUM – a large mall on Red Square. In Soviet days, the GUM was the state-run story. Now the mall is filled with stores like Nike, Reebok, and other western retailers. Soon we were back in the cold walking to the Duma building several blocks away. After of a time of prayer near the Duma we walk to the Bolshoi Theater and prayed again. The prayerwalk concluded around 2:30 p.m.

For some it would seem like a wasted day, but not for me. This may go down as our most significant work during this mission trip. I believe in the power of prayer. I believe that God will bless our prayers in this land.

Russians must eat lunch at 3 p.m., because that seems to be our scheduled time for lunch. We rode the Metro to the Southwest part of Moscow with Andrei and others from Dedication Church. We ate at a mall. I had a rice dish and shashlek, basically skewered roasted meat. Then we were off to Dedication Church for fellowship and tea.

Dedication meets in what’s known as the Christian Center. The building is owned by several Evangelical Christian groups and meeting space is rented to churches like Dedication. We also meet members of a Nigeria church meeting in a room near the one where we met.

The time with Dedication Church was a true blessing. We sang together, prayed together and together we dreamed about the future of this young church. Each person, American and Russian, shared briefly about themselves and their ministry through the local church. After sharing, Pastor Andrei asked each person to share a prayer request.

I will always remember the smiles and love of these Russian believers. Though I speak little Russian and they spoke little English, the love of Christ made words unnecessary – we are brothers and sisters in Christ. And their light is shining bright in a difficult place. I pray that God would use these loving believers in might way.

We stopped at a café on the way to our hotel and I was able to get a bowl of borsch (beetroot soup). It was quite tasty.

Christmas in Moscow Day Two

My flight finally arrived at Moscow’s Seremetevo Airport at 10.30 a.m. Moscow time (eight hours ahead of New Orleans). By that time I had been traveling for 24 hours. I was only able to get one or two hours of sleep on the plane. I said my goodbyes to Natasha, who sat by me on the plane. Though she spoke to me primarily in English, it was good to spend so much time talking with a Russian before I arrived in Moscow. It helped me get in the right frame of mind. It helped me to care.

In the terminal, it took awhile to clear Passport Control. I got a little nervous at the baggage claim. I worried that my bag had been left in New York because our Atlanta flight cut it so close. I was not prepared to spend the next several days in the clothes I have been wearing for 24 hours. My bag was one of the last ones to come off the plane in Moscow. Whew!

The weather was cold, but beautiful. It was a bright sunny day – a rarity in Moscow according to those who live here. The Moscow Chamber of Commerce couldn’t have wish for a more perfect day. The snow was beautiful.

By 1 p.m. we had reached our hotel. The hotel is very nice … much nice than the one I stayed at in 2005. The building was built for the 1980 Olympics, but it has recently been remodeled. The rooms are small, but nice. Each room is equipped with terry cloth robes and slippers. The rooms have steam heat which is nice, but too hot. I had the window open for hours at a time to let out some of the heat. My room is on the 23 floor, however, the window has no bars or screen to prevent someone from fall out … it is a bit scary to stand near the window.

After checking into the hotel, we walked across the street to a mall food court for lunch. We ate at the Russian version of KFC. It was good. Then we caught the Metro (subway) for a trip across town to meet with American missionaries serving in Moscow. By 4 p.m. the sun was beginning to set. Over a cup of tea, the missionaries told of their work in the city and about the Russians who are their partners. We also learned more about our schedule. The Metro ride home took us about an hour (I actually fell asleep while standing during the Metro ride). Before entering our hotel we stopped at a grocery store for a cultural experience.

I went primarily to pick up a few items for breakfast – crackers, cheese and a salami-like meat. This is the type of breakfast I had during my first trip to Russia. Feeling nostalgic, I wanted the same this time. I also notice the Lay’s potato chips. The flavor varieties were endless – mushroom, garlic, shashlik (skewered beef), crab and many others. But, I obviously didn’t pay much attention when I grabbed the Lay’s – I pick up caviar flavored Lay’s instead of original Lay’s. I’m not expecting to like the caviar-flavored Lay’s.

At the check-out counter I committed the unpardonable sin – I didn’t respond in Russian to the question “Do you want to buy a plastic bag?” Yes, you do have to buy your bag. I knew what she was asking, but I nodded and said “yes” instead of “da.” She didn’t like that for some reason. I got my bag and made it out of the grocery in one piece. I went straight to bed. It had been almost two days since I’d had a full night’s sleep. I slept well for most of the night.

On Jan. 5, we traveled by:
- airplane
- 15-passenger van
- Metro (subway)
- streetcar
- bus
- and good old fashion feet

Christmas in Moscow Day One - The Journey

Jan. 4. - Time for me to fly

NEW ORLEANS, La.
The alarm jolted me from a brief but satisfying sleep at 1:30 a.m. this morning. I showered, dressed and had about 25 minutes to spare. Soon I was headed to the airport. I arrived just within the suggested three-hour window for flights to Moscow. I have lived in New Orleans long enough to know that the agents wouldn’t be there that early, but I followed the directions anyway. Of course, the counters were empty. I tried the self-check in kiosk. The kiosk didn’t even open until 4:15 a.m. So I waited among a group of weary-looking travelers in the seating area.

There were about 20 other travelers waiting, about half were sleeping on the floor. I think the ones on the floor had been there all night. The guy closest to me was snoring loudly as he slept … once … I believe he talked in his sleep, though not in English (Arabic, I think). Around 4 a.m., I ate a granola bar and took a brief nap. Around 4:15 a.m., I was awakened by the sounds of people rushing to the ticket counters.

It took awhile to get through the ticketing process. The kiosk did not work for my trip … the agent had to check my passport and visa. My computer was chosen for an extra security checks (I guess really sleepy people look suspicious). The extra check was so quick that I didn’t even have time to put on my jacket or shoes.

ATLANTA, Ga.
After an uneventful flight, I made it to Atlanta and had my first cup of coffee … a Grande Caffe Americano from Starbucks. For second breakfast -- a bit of beef jerky. Later, I am looking forward to a Nathan’s hot dog for lunch. After eating, the wait was on. It was supposed to be a short wait, but it turned into a long wait. Delta never explained why the wait was so long. The plane was late arriving at the gate, but it didn’t fly in from another destination. Once at the gate, the plane had to be stocked and cleaned. We were at least 40 minutes late loading the plane.

NEW YORK
As we approached New York, we were informed that we had been placed in a holding pattern. We circled around and around for another 30 minutes. By the time we landed, I was getting a bit nervous about making the connecting flight to Moscow. I rushed to the gate listed on my boarding pass, but it was wrong. As I made it to gate, the first call can for boarding. It was tight, but I made it.

I sat next to a Russia woman during the trip. We had great conversations about Dostoevsky, Moscow and St. Petersburg. She gave a few recommendations about Russian food.

After dinner, I was able to get a few hours of sleep. Somewhere over the Atlantic, we welcomed a new day.

Preparing for Russia (Part 2)

Jan. 4 promises to be a very long day. Delta recommends travelers who are flying to Moscow to arrive at the airport three hours early to clear security. My flight leaves at 6 a.m. so I’ll be at Armstrong International by 3 a.m. Wow! What goes on at an airport at 3 a.m.? TSA screening and not much else I assume. I have picked up international students as late as midnight several times … the airport is dead at that time. Maybe 3 a.m. is a busy time.

From New Orleans I travel to Atlanta for a three and a half-hour wait. Then I fly to New York City for a relatively brief hour and a half layover. At 4:35 p.m., I board the plane to Moscow for an overnight, oversea flight. The flight reaches Moscow at 10:10 a.m. Jan. 5. 

Basically, that’s 12 hours from my arrival at the New Orleans airport until my departure from New York. Flight time from New York to Moscow is 9 ½ to 10 hours – plenty of time to nap, read a book, listen to music and write.

Weather Update
Weather.com is calling for the following highs and lows:
Jan. 5 - 1° High; -4° Low
Jan. 6 -  7° High; -1° Low
Jan. 7 -  13° High; 7° Low (Snow)
Jan. 8 -  23° High; 11° Low (Snow)
Jan. 9 -  15° High; 11° Low (Snow)
Jan. 10 -  19° High; 11° Low (Snow)

Random Fact
If I had one million roubles, I’d buy a new, loaded Honda Pilot. One million roubles equals about $33,000.