I first met you in 2007. The room at Orphanage #2 was crowded and stuffy, and there were new shoes everywhere. You waited patiently as each child was seated and given their gift. There were shoes just for you. Shoes you wouldn’t have to share with anyone. You smiled that …
We awoke this morning to birds and sunshine peeking through clouds. The Vista Real hotel is a lovely sanctuary from the congestion and noise of this city. And we get two nights in a row here – before we start our hopscotch journey through the country. At breakfast, we meet …
According to the map on the screen in front of me on the airplane, we are over land somewhere north of Boston, which means we have traversed the Atlantic Ocean on our journey back to Dallas/Fort Worth. And as with our trip to St Petersburg, November 17th and 18th have …
We’ve been here a week. I’m not sure if it feels like a lifetime or a moment in time. But I’m not sure I want it to end. Granted, I do miss my family, my friends terribly – and have a craving for a salad, turkey burger and sweet potato …
A song of seagulls. A song about freedom. Sung by a girl with a heart so bound by fear and pain. Our day began with a special opportunity to be the audience at a talent competition for orphanages. Each performance focused on some legend or great story of Russia, and …
14 November 2007 As I reflect on today, my mind is awash with color. Radiant, beautiful color. It actually began last night, as we drove back into St Petersburg for dinner. Turning the corner, we saw what had to be the largest display of neon, chaser-light, plastic yard art I’ve …
13 November 2007 They say Russia only gets 40 days of sunshine a year. I think they’re wrong. If we thought our journey yesterday was long, we were about to learn a thing or two today. We traveled to Volkhov, a small village 2-1/2 hours by bus from St Petersburg …
Note: Several blogs were published on November 13th. 12 November 2007 Our journey today took us 1-1/2 hours outside the city to two rural orphanages. The first, Lomonosov, is a home dedicated to babies from birth to 4 years of age. The home is an historic landmark tucked away on …
Note: Several blogs were published on November 13th. 11 November 2007 Our journey today takes us to Pushkin, where the Summer Palace of Catherine II was built. Words cannot adequately describe both the opulence and sheer excess of this palace. From the golden gates that lead to the “walking garden” …
Note: I published several blogs on November 13th. 10 November 2007 It’s Saturday, I think. With the help of Ambien, the 26 hours of sleeplessness melted away into good rest. We start with breakfast – a buffet full of, yes, meat, cheese, and vegetables, along with porridge, fried biscuits (called …
Note: I was finally able to publish on the 13th, so am publishing several days of blogs at once. 11-09-07 It’s a bit bizarre to think that it’s now the 9th of November, yet we never officially left the 8th behind. Nine time zones will do that to travelers, I …