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On our last day I woke at 9:30 and by 10:00 I was on the hotel’s treadmill and then bounded off it, down the stairs and ran Nevsky Propekt to Karansky Cathedral and back. Polina picked us at 11:00 and took us back to the Hermitage to see things we missed because we were so late the last time. I paid for a camcorder permit allowing me to photograph a lot of Picasso works and those of many other famous Western artists. After an hour and a half, Marcia was tired and hungry so Polina took us to and dropped us off at the Taleon Club [Eliseev Palace Hotel, Nab. Reki Moika embankment 59, 312-53-73] for brunch. This is the most expensive rest in the city and is open until 3AM]. Unfortunately they took my camera so there are no photos of the inside and the spectacular layout of food. I don’t enjoy eating lunch but had to partake of this experience. I had a cappuccino and this full champagne brunch including crab sausage finishing off at almost two hours later with an espresso. The restaurant in the Eliseev Mansion and they invited us for a tour of it which was very nice. After a half hour of that we walked back to the hotel and checked out at 2:50, packed at 3, and Polina picked us up at 3:20 to drive us to Moskovsky Station (the one that goes to Moscow). It was a very nice and fancy station with many nice shops and lots of people streaming in and out. We said our goodbyes to Polina, knowing we would probably never see her again.

When I went to pay her the $100/day fee for the 3 days (that Dimitrii told me), she explained to me that it was supposed to be $200/day. I called Dimitrii and complained and he called me back and told me there was some kind of mix-up and that I should pay her the $200/day. That’s twice what I thought I had contracted for. That took the edge off just a bit because I thought I was getting a run-around. She was worth it though and I knew it would help her raising her little son.

We purchased our 1st Class tickets to Moscow which cost $100 and at 4:00 we boarded the train (#159: Seats 29&30) and boy was it HOT! The train slowly eased out of the station and soon we were whooshing through the Russian countryside which was less bleak than the first train. By 7:00 stop at Bodogoe and at 9:20 we arrived in Moscow’s Leningradsky Station. As I looked out the window in anticipation, there I spotted Dimitrii & Irene (from Spain) along with a large good-looking man I did not know. We got our bags off and greeted them with great hugs and kisses. Irene had worked out her visa issues and had flown to Moscow two days earlier. Then Dimitrii introduced us to Vladimir, his driver when I the city. Dima was given an brand new BMW 740i by a very grateful patient he had operated on, so he hired Vlad to always have the car ready for him. We got to the car and Vlad loaded our bags and whisked us through the streets of downtown Moscow arriving at La Grotto by 10:00 for dinner. Vlad doesn’t speak or understand one word of English and no desire or need to. But he is warm and we all hit it off with him very well.

With Dima and Irene, we had pizza margherita and I had penne arrabiata followed by duck ala orange washing it down with beer and red wine. Marcia had a salad and spigola (fish) with red wine and sorbet vodka. The others had rucola/pomadorini with branzino (Mediterranean sea bass) with sorbetto limone and vodka. After finishing our espresso, we piled back into the beemer and at midnight, Dima tried to get into Red Square for a little tour but it was completely closed due to a bombing that occurred there earlier in the day that killed the cop that tried to defuse it. Just our luck, the day we arrive. So we drove around a little and then he took us to our hotel to check in. It was 12:30 when we got to the desk at the Renaissance Hotel [Olympijskij Prospect 18 L, 095-931-9833] and we finally got into our room (#908) and got to bed at 2:45.

KJH Go To -> NEXT DIARIO #45