30 June 2004 Moscow I am writing this part in Russian airspace and cannot believe I am doing this. There can be no doubt that I have the jitters less than forty-five minutes from touch-down in Moscow. The Aeroflot Airlines flight has been efficient and professional, even with the three crying babies and two barking dogs! I have no idea what to expect once at the airport. I just hope my ride shows. Before we land, though, I must make a comment about the couple with the dogs. They also have a daughter whom they completely ignore, while holding tightly to and kissing their damned dogs. The picture at the airport was this: three contiguous seats, husband and wife together, she with her head on his chest. Each of them are holding a dog. The daughter is in the last chair, clutching her doll, head against the seatback, looking away from her parents. Quite sad. At one point the girl asked her mother to do something with the doll. Her mother abruptly and rudely pushed it away.

Enough of that sickness. We arrived at Sheremetyevo Airport about thirty minutes late. The approach afforded an opportunity to look at the beautiful land: many trees, flat terrain, many splendid lakes. At the airport customs was a disaster. I waited in line over an hour hust to have my passport stamped. Thank goodness the luggage was delivered and my driver waiting for me. This young man was delightful. Sergei is his name, and I'll see him again on Friday, having arranged for him to deliver me to the D airport. The drive to the hotel was more than two hours of stop and go traffic. Moscow is immense and spread out for many miles. The 3,000 room hotel is more than adequate for the short time I am here. However, it is rather worn, shall we say. I had a small dinner in the hotel cafe which provided a goor view of the Kremlin. As I ate, the historic site was slowly bathed in light. It is unbelievable that I am here looking at the very center of communist rule. This view is the signature of Moscow. It is nearly 11:30PM and finally it has become dark.

01 July 2004 Moscow It is somewhat difficult to believe that I have stood in Red Square, staring at the Kremlin. I did not wander far from the hotel, to be honest. Perhaps somewhat paranoid at first (though proven correct later in the day!), I have found in my brief encounter with Russians a very tough people. Predominately they are definitely not friendly, nor do they seem at all interested in the tourist industry, at least by going out of their way to make tourists feel safe and unintimidated. Even the hotel is preoccupied with correct paperwork. As I walked around Red Square I did not notice many foreign tourists. All the tourists waiting in customs yesterday seem to have evaporated. Perhaps Sergei is correct in saying that many tourists come to Russia for the Volga River cruises.

This is a city of stark differences. The colorful and glittering historic buildings contrast sharply with the drab gray and tan buildings beyond the historic center. There are many architecturally notable buildings, but most ordinary structures are, well let's be honest, ugly. Red Square, however,is quite beautiful. Diverse shapes and colors make for a great view. The photos we have all seen capture the feel of the place well. The park which borders one side the Kremlin is nicely kept, and with an extensive water fall, stretching many meters long, it is a pleasant place to stroll through. Again, Moscovites are not particularly welcoming in their demeanor.

I walked around Red Square this morning, and made the complete circle around the Kremlin wall. It struck me that much of the religious art and architecture was preserved. I would have thought that the communists would have been more thorough! Nonetheless, the mosaics, icons, onion-domes, gold crosses are beautiful. I was stunned for most of the morning, still incredulous that I am here.

The Kremlin Mall is a high end shopping center, though I do not find that prices are excessively high, at least by American and British standards.

During my second venture out, in the early afternoon, I was the attempted victim of a scam, and it gave me a bit of a scare for the rest of the day. A man walking in front of me yelled at a man further ahead that he had dropped a wad of money. I joined in trying to gain the walking man's attention. He returned and thanked us profusedly for retrieving his money. The man who yelled and I engaged in a brief mutual-congratulations for our honesty. All of a sudden the money-dropper returned claiming he had dropped a second wad, and he accused me of taking it. I protested loudly and walked on. About and hour later I saw the two of them together engaging other tourists. Of course, my first impulse was to flee. No, not just the scene of the scam but the entire country! Frankly, my exploration of Moscow is being truncated. I think I have had enough and refuse to be targeted again. Traveling alone does have its drawbacks; a lone tourist is a prime target of scam artists. I have chosen to stay in rather than lose my passport, credit cards and telephone. I do want to return to the US!

I am curious about several things. At the "lower" gates of Red Square, in front of a small Orthodox chapel, there are metallic designs in the cobblestone plaza. People methodically walk from one corner to the middle and drop a coin. At that point one of two Russian women say something to them, and the pilgrim moves on. The women then pick up the coins. I have no idea what is happening. Secondly, there are a number of stores with stuffed exotic animals: bear, hawks, owls, wild pigs, etc. There seems to be much interest in these shops. Lastly (and again) there are a good number of teens and young adults, but almost no children.

There are hawkers and beggers everywhere.

I am looking forward to leaving Moscow tomorrow. Although the flight to Saratov should be interesting, I will be comforted by staying with people who have my interests in mind. At least I hope so.

02 July 2004 Moscow 7:30PM I may as well capture the moment while I sit waiting for boarding Saravia Airlines flight 6B0761 to Saratov. I am just about bursting with anxiety. Will the plane make it? Will someone be there to pick me up? Will I get back to the US? I do not know why I put myself through this. This is such a great opportunity, and I have not enjoyed one minute today, aside from seeing Aaro this morning and speaking briefly to a couple of US tourists and one Brit businessman. First I do not find Russians the least bit friendly, and, for all their bluster and posturing, they just cannot appreciate the social significance of courtesy. I need to think more about that. Despite capitalism's inherent "get ahead" attitude, it has a very strict code of conduct. I am so looking forward to getting to France, and ultimately the USA. This trip on its 70th plus day reinforces my love of being an American. Frankly I feel sorry for everyone else who is. At least we can smile.

I hope all this anxiety does not let me lose the sense and realit of why I am doing this. I really do want to see the Volga area; it is a great honor. Left to my own devices, though, right now I would jump on the next plane headed for Anytown, USA. Although I do not feel this at the moment, I need to be thankful for the opportunity I have.

03/04 July 2004 Saratov/Marx/Obermunjou/Marienthal There is a special section devoted entirely to my visit in the Saratov Area. Go to The Volga River.

05 July 2004 Saratov/Moscow/Paris I awoke at 4AM, well before the alarm was set to sound. Here in the Saratov curia flat, I had plenty of time to shower (cold water only, thank you) and prepare for the flight to Moscow, and a second to Paris. Saken arrived around 5:15AM and informed me that Greece won the Euro2004 soccer championship; he was rooting for Portugal. Soon the taxi arrived. This driver had a complex; I am sure he was trying to convince this foreigner that he could drive with the best, and he nearly got us killed. But we were delivered safely to Saratov Airport. Unlike the arrival accommodations, departing passengers had a room for waiting. It is the only airport I have seen with wooden benches. I could not complain, though, at least the plane was set to go on this bright, clear morning. The thunderstorms last night had moved on.

The flight was pretty much uneventful if the antiquity of the aircraft was not a bother. I was confident that I would make it to Moscow; that gave me a lift itself. As we neared Moscow, though, the clouds were thick and low. It looked like rain. We landed safely at Domodedyevo. Now all I had to do was reclaim my baggage and wait for my driver at 10:30AM. Surprisingly, Vladamir greated me before I got to the baggage claim area. He was fidgety, hyper and annoying. Although it was only 9AM I decided to go directly to Sher for my 4:10PM flight to Paris. The drive took a full two hours. I am not certain that there was a faster way to the other facility, but Vladmir went right through the center of town, passing the Kremlin for my final view. When we entered the airport grounds, I asked Vladamir how much I owed him. He said, "I think $200." I was stunned and angry that this creep dared to rip me off. I thought $80 was fair, slammed it in his hands, and testily left the car.

I have come to dislike all airports, but I hate Russian airports with a passion. At Shermeyevo we went through security checks three times: at the door, the check-in post and the gate, but I swear the security workers do not care on bit. I knew I had a long wait in the dumpy, congested airport; it seemed like an eternity before I would leave Russia. I arrived at 11AM but was checked in at 2:15PM. Then the long, senseless wait resumed in the line for customs. The lines were very long because they had less than half the posts staffed. What made matters even less tolerable were the Russians who barged in front of others waiting. No one could say a word about the abuse. There were no agents to control the queues. After 45 minutes my passport was stamped, and I was free of these bureaucratic idiots.

Instead of boarding Aeroflot, our aircraft destined for Paris was Air France. The heavy rain concerned me that we would be delayed, but right on time we took off and pierced the thick clouds for the 1600 mile flight west. I believe we took a northerly route over the Baltic Sea and Denmark, then south to Paris. I almost kissed the French soil when we arrived at Charles de Gaulle Airport. It took me a while to figure out the train system for the journey into Paris. By 8PM I was dragging my luggage from Les Invalides metro station along Avenue de Tourville. As I climbed the station steps I noticed the Eiffel Tower in the distance. I had made it out of Russia.