Moscow and Other Stuff

Well, we all survived our day trip to Moscow despite some very earnest efforts by Eric and Nicle to miss the train. We left Vladimir on the 7:30 am electric train that takes about two and a half hour trip to Moscow. We arrived and braved Msocow's fiendishly complex subway system to Red Square. Beleive it or not, it was actually quite hot in Moscow in August, so we were all quickly looking for someplace to buy some water or ice cream. After taking in Red Square we began to wander in the direction of Lenin's Tomb and toward the Novy Arbat. Unfortunately, we discovered that the line to see him stretched for what seemed like half a mile. Someone commented that it looked like a line at Disney World. After some more walking, we settled in for some lunch, followed by a leisurely walk to the Tretyakov Gallery, a famous museum whaich was founded in the late 19th century by a wealthy merchant. It is packed with all sorts of art from early Russian icons to avant garde art from the teens and twenties. Our last stop was a large three storied mall for a trip to a stand in the food court that sells blinni, a Russian favorite that is like pancakes, but can be stuffed with sweets or meat and cheese for a tasty meal. The trip back was pretty uneventful, mainly trying to sleep on one of the most uncomfortable seats I have ever sat in. Lastly, we arrived back in Vladimir in the middle of a full-blown thunderstorm with water pouring down the streets.

Today we have some free time, although most of us are spending the day on various American Home related activities. Hopefully tonight we will get the chance to have some fun with movies or something along that line. After the first week, things are going great, but we can all tell that this is going to be a lot of work. There are lessons to prepare, classes to teach, movies to show, converstation classes to organize, and a host of other things. This is not to mention the navigation of a sometimes mystifying society and its traditions.

Hopefully I will get some pictures from Moscow up tomorrow (I forgot my USB cord at home...)